


Dear C: An Unexpected Party Member

by MrsFandral



Series: The World Traveling Owl [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: A LOT of research, Alternate Universe, Bromance, Eventual Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield, F/M, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gandalf Likes to Keep Secrets, Humor, I Tried, M/M, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Owls, Sassy Bilbo Baggins, Skin-changer, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Time Travel, bagginshield
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28544385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsFandral/pseuds/MrsFandral
Summary: When Alex Walker woke up this morning, she did not expect to be in Middle Earth. A place that only exists in books and movies for her. She comes to realize it's the day Gandalf comes to visit Bilbo to ask him if he would like to go on an adventure. With the knowledge she knows, she wants to take this opportunity to save Thorin and his nephews from their untimely doom. To do that, she must become apart of the Company and travel to Erebor. Will she be able to save them? Or will Thorin's trust issues get in the way?
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins & Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield, Fíli (Tolkien)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The World Traveling Owl [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091192
Comments: 14
Kudos: 24





	1. Woke Up In Middle Earth

Dear C,

When I woke this morning, I did not expect to be standing outside the Shire. Yes, you read that right, the Shire, the place in Middle Earth.  
At first, I thought it was at the Hobbiton in New Zealand.  
I looked at the surroundings around me; I knew I was standing in front of Bag End. I could see the famous green door and its brass doorknob. But the questions are; how did I get here, and why was I here?  
I stood there, dazed and confused about what was happening. Until I heard a faint squeaking noise coming towards my direction. I turned my head to see a man come up the hill rolling a wheelbarrow full of carrots and cabbages. I started to walk closer to him and realizing this man wasn’t getting any taller.  
My first thought was they hired actors for tourists. Then my second thought was that hiring actors to play hobbits was a bit insensitive.  
When he finally saw me, he put down his wheelbarrow, looked up, and forced a smile. He wore a green hat with a feather in it and had a large grey beard that went all the way down to his stomach. “Hello, can I help you?” He asked hesitantly.  
“Yes, can you tell me where I can find a telephone?”  
“Pardon?”  
“A phone, I know this may sound weird, but I don’t know how I got here.” I nervously laughed.  
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what that is.”  
At this point, I was getting irritated and a little anxious. “I’m serious. I don’t know why I’m here, and I need a telephone to call for help.”  
“I’m sorry, madam, I can’t help you, but maybe Bilbo Baggins can; his house is right there.”  
He gestured to Bag End.  
Before I could reply, he picked up his wheelbarrow, continued down the road, mumbling about outsiders, and shook his head. I huffed as I watched him go down the hill disappearing out of sight.  
I finally walked back up to Bag End’s gate. I still didn’t believe this indeed was the Shire, so I stood outside the gate with my arms crossed, looking at the door, debating whether I should play into this prank.  
After many grunts and eye-rolling, I decided it was worth a shot to knock on the door to see if anyone answered.  
I walked up the stone steps. Then slowly, I moved my hand towards the door, thinking someone I knew would jump out and scare me, but no one did, so I knocked.  
To my surprise, someone answered with “coming!”  
The door opened, and there stood Martin Freeman dressed as Bilbo. “Yes, can I help you?” he asked.  
My eyes grew wide as I stood there staring at him, now this sick joke was going too far, “You’re Martin Freeman,” I stated.  
He gave me a confused look then looked behind me to see if I was talking to anyone else, “No, um, I’m Bilbo Baggins. I’ve never heard of this, Martin,” he replied.  
He either was playing his character,, or maybe, he really was Bilbo Baggins.  
I turned around to see the rest of the Hobbiton. People were either talking, fishing, or tending to their gardens. So many questions ran through my mind. Could this be the real Shire? And the real Bilbo Baggins? I turned back to face him. If this was the real Bilbo and Middle Earth, where was I in this universe? Was this before the Battle of the Five Armies or after? It couldn’t be the time of Lord of the Rings; he didn’t look old enough.  
I must have been staring too long because he shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, Bil… I mean, Mister Baggins, could you tell me if you know a wizard by the name of Gandalf the Gray?”  
He furrowed his eyebrows together, “Gandalf… Gandalf… you’re not talking about Gandalf, the wandering wizard who made such excellent fireworks are you?”  
“That’s the one; you haven’t seen him recently, have you?” I said, a little too eagerly.  
“I can’t say that I have. I don’t think he’s in business anymore.”  
So, before then, the next question came after that, when will Gandalf visit?  
I was hoping he could help me get back to our world. I looked down at his appearance; he wore the same yellow vest and blue ascot on the day Gandalf does come. But that doesn’t prove anything. Asking the year wasn’t going to help either. I’m not very good at years, even in our world. I’ve read both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings but not close enough to know any specific year.  
I couldn’t wait around for Gandalf to show up. I looked back towards the road leading out of The Shire, thinking I could travel to Rivendell to see Lord Elrond. Maybe he would be able to help. But I didn’t know how to get there, and with having no supplies or money, I wasn’t going to make it very far. If I knew how to get there by some miracle, I was going to starve to death before I even made it.  
The air around me was getting thicker, making it harder to breathe. I was hoping this was all a dream, and I would wake up at any time. I faced Bilbo once again, “whoa, are you alright?” He asked, “you look like a ghost.”  
“I’m sorry, I’m not feeling quite well,” I replied through deep breaths.  
He shifted his feet, “Would you like to come inside and have a cup of tea? Maybe that will help.”  
I hesitated but finally said, “That would be lovely, thank you, Mister Baggins,” faking a smile.  
“Call me Bilbo, and you are?” He asked, moving out of the doorway, signaling me to come in.  
“Oh, where are my manners, Alexandria Walker at your service,” I bowed, “but, please call me Alex,” I said, as I walked in.  
If I hadn’t already been freaking out, I definitely would be freaking out about being inside of Bag End. I looked around and saw how wonderful it was. Sun was beaming through the windows, making the place brighter, a few plants were dangling from the ceiling, and books piled up on tables.  
Bilbo closed the door behind me; I saw the door’s intricate design and couldn’t help but smile. “You have a lovely home,” I said, turning to him.  
His face turned pink as he replied, “Oh, uh, thank you, please, right this way.”  
With being at least two feet taller than him, I had to make sure I didn’t hit my head on anything. We walked into his parlor room. “Please, sit and make yourself comfortable while I go and make us some tea,” he said, pointing to one of the chairs in front of the fireplace.  
As I sat down, he walked into the kitchen, while I sat down. I then realized what I was wearing when I felt something poking my side. It was not something I would wear in our world. It was a dark blue dress coat with a hood. The middle from the waste down was open to show the brown pants that I wore along with brown leather boots. That's when I figured out what was poking me, a corset. “Of course,” I mumbled to myself.  
I also noticed my hair was back to its natural blonde color, instead of Blue.  
Bilbo came back with a tea tray with the teapot and cups along with assorted biscuits. He set down the tray on the table between the two seats. “Now, may I ask why you are seeking Gandalf?” He asked while pouring tea in each cup.  
“It’s a bit complicated, but I’m hoping he can help me find my way back home.”  
“Sugar?” He asked.  
I shook my head no then took the cup. “Well, most people use a map to find their way home. Did you lose yours?”  
I chuckled at his comment then replied, “No, and my home is not on any one of your maps.”  
“Well, where is it then?” He questioned as he sat down with his tea.  
I thought about it; I don’t think he would believe me if I told him the truth. “Let’s just say I’m from a distant world.”  
He didn’t seem satisfied with that answer, but he didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, it was this uncomfortable silence. I looked around the room; the place was clean and tidy like a display home, which will soon change when he returns from Erebor.  
I turned to see a picture of Bilbo’s parents. Bilbo followed where my eyes were looking at. “My parents,” he said, “Bungo Baggins and Belladonna Baggins, formally known as Took.”  
“She’s beautiful,” I smiled.  
“Yes, she was; she passed away a long time ago, along with my father. Now, it’s just me.”  
He smiled, but I could see the sadness in his eyes. He looked in the distance like he was in a different place. I patted his hand that was resting on the armchair. He quickly blinked, then asked, “What about your family?”  
I removed my hand from his arm. “Oh, my father is still alive, along with my other siblings, but sadly my mother became sick, and she passed away,” I said, then took a sip of my tea.  
“I’m truly sorry,” he said, looking at the floor.  
“Thank you, and I’m sorry too.”  
There suddenly came a knock on the door, pulling us out of our heartfelt conversation. “Well, it seems I am popular today; no, please sit and enjoy your tea.” He said while walking away to answer the door.  
I could hear the door open, followed by Bilbo gasping. “Well, if it isn’t Gandalf, the Wandering Wizard!” Bilbo exclaims.  
I jumped out of my seat, running to the door. I ducked out of the way, but nearly fast enough and hit the beam I forgot about. “I have a visitor who says she needs your help,” Bilbo explained, as he let Gandalf inside.  
“Oh? And who might that be?” Gandalf asked.  
He turned around and saw me rubbing my forehead. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief to see him. “Alexandria Walker, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance,” I replied.  
“Sorry, but I thought you already knew him,” Bilbo said; he was more asking than telling.  
“I do; I mean, I know about him, of course. I’ve heard many stories.”  
Gandalf was still looking at me, but his facial expression changed into a look I was all too familiar with. He was studying me.  
“What can I help you with, Miss Walker?” He asked me with his gruff voice.  
“Alex, please. No, my problem can wait. You came here for Bilbo, not I. If this is a more private conversation, I can wait outside,” I replied.  
I was hoping he would say no. I wanted to see this play out. You already know, of course C, that this scene is one of my favorite scenes from the film.  
“No, you can stay. Are you sure your issue can wait?” He asked.  
I nodded my head at him, eagerly waiting for this conversation. He gave me one last look before turning to Bilbo.  
“Mister Bilbo! I’m glad that you remembered my name after all these many years.”  
“Well, if it weren’t for Alex here, it would have taken me quite a while for me to remember,” Bilbo gestured towards me, “Please, have some tea with us. We will move our conversation to the dining room.”  
Gandalf leaned his staff against the wall near the door, then started following Bilbo. “Oh, watch your- head,” before I could finish my sentence, Gandalf knocked his head on the beam.  
Bilbo went to get another cup for Gandalf from the kitchen while we sat down. All you could hear was Bilbo, clattering dishes as we sat in silence, staring at each other. Although he was smiling at me, I could tell Gandalf was studying me again. I tried to avert my eyes to my teacup, which was way too small for my hands. When Bilbo came back, however, he stopped looking at me and focused on Bilbo.  
Bilbo sat down at the head of the table, “Now, how can I help you, Gandalf?” He asked before taking a sip of his tea.  
“I’m looking for someone to share an adventure.”  
Bilbo nearly dropped his cup but caught it just in time. He looked at Gandalf in bewilderment, and his mouth fell open. “An advent-,” he shook his head, “no, I don’t imagine anyone west of Bree would have much of interest in adventures.”  
He stood up to pour more tea for himself, “nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things, make you late for dinner,” He sat back down, but not before grabbing a biscuit.  
Gandalf grunted, “You’ve changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins.”  
“I have not changed. I’m a hobbit. We don’t go running off having… adventures.” He whispered that last part as if it was a forbidden word.  
“Well, that’s decided. It’ll be very good for you,” He said as he took a sip of his tea.  
Bilbo looked at me in puzzlement, while I was trying to hide my smile by taking a drink from my tea.  
“And most amusing for me, I shall inform the others,” Gandalf smiled.  
“Inform the who…? What!? No! We do not want any adventures here, thank you, not… I suggest you try over the hill or… across the water. Or Alex here,” He gave Gandalf a stern look.  
Gandalf looked at him then at me. “Yes, yes, alright.” He waved his hand at Bilbo but was looking at me.  
But my smile grew wider because I, of course, knew he wasn’t listening to Bilbo. “Now, on to your problem, Miss Alex.”  
Instantly, my face became serious. I set down my empty teacup on the table. I didn’t exactly know how to begin. “You see, Gandalf, I’m trying to get home, but I don’t know how to. I was hoping you can help me with that.”  
“Surely a map can help you with that,” He laughed.  
“Yes, but you see,” I sighed.  
How was I supposed to explain my situation to him? “I am not from this world.”  
His face turned grim, “what do you mean by that?”  
I had to tell him whether he believed me or not, “You’re not going to believe me but, I’m from a different world, not Middle Earth or the Undying Lands. I’m from a place called North America. It doesn’t exist in your world, just like Middle Earth doesn’t exist in mine.”  
“Then how do you know our world?” Bilbo asked, intrigued, but I could tell from his voice he was a bit skeptical.  
“I know this sounds crazy, and it is, but in my world, you guys are characters from a book,”  
Bilbo laughed at that, “It’s true! I know what happens in the future because I’ve read the book!”  
And seen the movies, but I wasn’t about to explain what movies are. “Here, I’ll prove it. I know that you plan on having fish for dinner tonight. Although I would plan for a bigger meal.” I mumbled that last part.  
Bilbo’s eyes grew wide but then furrowed his eyebrows, “That was just a lucky guess,” He sputtered.  
I rolled my eyes and sighed, trying to figure out what I could spoil without ruining anything. “Fine, Gandalf,” I looked over at Gandalf sitting awfully quiet and staring at me with an expression of skepticism, but it was growing into belief, “what would you say to me if I said good morning to you.”  
“I would say, what do you mean? Did you mean to wish me-”  
“A good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning? Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?” I finished the rest of his speech.  
I’m so glad I didn’t screw that line up. It had been a while since I watched or read The Hobbit. Gandalf just looked at me, and I could see a small smirk on his lips, while Bilbo was moving his head back and forth between the two of us like he was a bobblehead. “That’s exactly right,” he finally said.  
“Oh, I understand what’s happening,” Bilbo said.  
Gandalf and I both looked at him. “You do?” I asked in relief.  
I didn’t think he would.  
“Oh yes, you two are working together to convince me to go on this adventure of yours.”  
Or maybe he didn’t.  
Before Gandalf and I could deny it, he continued, “well, I won’t have it.”  
He stood up from his seat, “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you both to leave,” he said as he pointed his finger towards the door.  
I stood up from my seat and walked towards him. “No, Bilbo, you don’t understand it’s not like that,” I argued.  
“I won’t hear any more of it Miss Walker, thank you for coming, but it’s time for you to leave,” He said, looking down at the floor.  
I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. “Come, Alex, let us leave Mister Baggins alone,” Gandalf said softly.  
I nodded my head then said, “I’m sorry, Bilbo, for any inconvenience I have caused you.” Then we walked towards the front door.  
“And for your information, I won’t be having fish tonight,” Bilbo yelled as Gandalf closed the door.  
“Now, Miss Alex, If you can tell the future, then you know the purpose of trying to recruit Bilbo,” Gandalf grunted as he leaned down to write the mark on the door.  
“Of course, You are trying to find a burglar for Thorin Oakenshield, to steal the Arkenstone from Smaug,” I said, as we walked down Bilbo’s steps.  
He grunted in agreement. “I’m sorry, I cannot help you with your situation.”  
I knew it was too good to be true.  
“Oh, I see,” I mumbled.  
“But I might know somebody who can. We will have to visit Rivendell, we’ll stray away from Thorin and company when we get close, but Lord Elrond may be able to help you. Do you have supplies for the journey?” He asked.  
“I sadly do not; I have only been here for maybe an hour,” I replied.  
“Yes, well, I’m sure they have something here in the Shire; come along, Miss Alex, we must hurry if we want to be back in time before the dwarfs come,” He started walking towards the market, but then he stopped suddenly and turned towards me. “I have to ask. what race are you?” He asked.  
It was an odd question, but I answered it anyway, “Man, of course.”  
He nodded his head slowly. “That remains to be seen,” He said before turning back around.  
When they say Gandalf is an odd person, they weren’t joking. I hesitated but eventually followed.  
We found a bag big enough to fit me, and we filled it with enough food and essentials for the journey to Rivendell. Of course, Gandalf paid for all of this because I have no money to my name, which I will be forever grateful for.  
By the time we were done, it was close to nightfall and just in time for us to return to Bag End. But as we were walking back, something caught my eye, a small chestnut-brown leather journal. I picked it up and held it in my hands, caressing the front, feeling soft leather. Gandalf bought it for me before I could put it back down. And this is how I’m writing to you C, in this lovely journal, hoping one day you will get to read this incredible and truly impossible story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been sitting on this idea for a while. I have seen Bilbo or Thorin going back in time and changing history. And that's what kind of inspired it, is someone from our world traveling to Middle Earth and changing history. I thought it would be kind of interesting to write it in the form of letters to her friend. I'm gonna try to stick close to the book and movies, but that's gonna be sometimes difficult to do. I hope you enjoy it!


	2. Dinner at Bag End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex must deal with Bilbo's sassiness, and Thorin is being dramatic.

Dear C,  
We returned to Bag End just in time for the rest of the dwarfs to show up. Excluding Dwalin, Balin, Kíli, Fíli, who were already inside. And Thorin, of course, who still has to make his dramatic entrance. I would have preferred to see the scene from the book, where all the dwarfs land on top of him, but at least I know this timeline is based on the movie.  
Before Gandalf and I entered through the gate, he stopped me with his staff. I looked up at him in confusion. "It would be wise not to say anything about your world and the future," He whispered.  
It made sense, It may be safer for them and me if I don't tell them. I've also seen enough movies to remember not to mess with time.  
"Alright," I replied.  
"GANDALF!" one of the dwarfs yelled.  
All the dwarfs turned faced Gandalf as we walked up the steps. "Ah, glad all of you could make it. Alex, this is; Oin, Gloin, Bofur, Bombur, Bifur, Ori, Dori, and Nori. Everyone, this is Miss Alexandria Walker," Gandalf replied.  
We could hear furniture being scraped across the wooden floor inside and Bilbo shouting something.  
"Miss Walker will be joining us for a part of our journey," Gandalf continued.  
They all turned to me and smiled with a small smile. Bofur gave me a wink.  
My cheeks suddenly became warmer. "Hello," I muttered.  
I felt intimidated and awestruck that I was meeting most of the dwarfs.  
Gandalf walked up and rang the doorbell. "So, Miss Walker, where are you traveling to?" Bofur asked as he leaned against the door.  
Before I could reply, Bilbo opened the door.  
Like dominos, the dwarfs all fell onto the floor. They started shouting at each other names I couldn't understand.  
While smiling, I crossed my arms and shook my head. Bilbo looked at me then at Gandalf, "Gandalf," He sighed.  
Gandalf smiled at him, innocently as possible.  
The dwarfs got up quickly to help the rest of their kin with the food. I smiled at Bilbo as Gandalf and I walked in. "Alex," He grunted as he shut the door.  
"Bilbo," I greeted back as I put my bag down.  
Gandalf put his hat and staff by the door, then left to help the others. I followed him to the kitchen. Dori, Ori, and Gloin were preparing and cooking the meals. Gandalf and I grabbed plates to set the table.  
I suddenly heard Bilbo shout, "Those are my… Excuse me, not my wine! Put that back. Put that back! Not the jam, please. Excuse me."  
I peeked down the hallway to see he was dressed out of his evening attire and into his daytime clothes.  
"Bilbo, it's no use; they won't listen to you," I said, trying to reason with him.  
He either was ignoring me or just didn’t hear me as he passed.  
Bombur came out of the pantry with stacks of cheese. "Ex…Excuse me. A tad excessive, isn't it? Have you got a cheese knife?" Bilbo asked him.  
I rolled my eyes, "A cheese knife? He eats it by the block," Bofur replied as he passed him.  
I moved out of Bombur and Bofur's way and followed Bilbo, who was arguing with Oin about a chair. I grabbed his arm to move out of Oin's way. "Hey, what are you doing? Let go of me," he said as he shook his arm out of my grasp.  
"Will you calm down? I said they won’t listen to you. Especially Oin, he's half deaf anyway," I said.  
"What are they doing in my house!?!" He yelled.  
"They will explain after dinner," I replied calmly.  
"No, you tell now, oh mighty fortune teller!" He yelled, throwing his arms up in the air.  
I got closer to him, "Keep your voice down; they don't know that, and I prefer to keep it that way," I whispered.  
He sighed while giving me an angry stare. I backed away, then crossed my arms. "So, you do believe me," I stated.  
"No, I do not, because I didn't have fish for dinner like you said I would."  
He gave me a smug grin.  
"Oh? Then what did Dwalin eat when he stole your dinner?" I asked innocently.  
He dropped his smile.  
I gave him a wink before going back into the dining room to see everyone stuffing their faces full of food. While somehow also yelling at each other.  
I grabbed a plate and stole some before the dwarfs could finish eating all of it.  
I looked around for a place to sit. Ori tried to offer me his seat, but I politely declined. I eventually found a spot next to Balin, and he smiled at me as I sat down. "Hello, I'm Alexandria Walker, but you can call me Alex," I yelled over the crowd.  
"Balin, at your service, Miss Alex. Gandalf has informed me and the others that you will be traveling with us."  
I nodded then took a bite of my chicken leg. The dwarfs knew how to cook. I was perfectly cooked, being tender and juicy.  
Fíli then decided to walk across the table, he was asking a question, but I couldn’t hear over the yelling. I grabbed my plate just in time before he could step on it.  
"And where is it that you are heading?" He asked, giving Fíli a stern look.  
"I'm traveling to-," I started but was interrupted by Bofur.  
"Hey, Bombur, catch!" He yelled.  
He threw a boiled egg across the table right into Bombur's mouth. Everyone, including me, started cheering and clapping.  
I stood up before I had to answer Balin's question. I wanted to avoid that question at all costs.  
I added extra chicken legs and a few strawberries to my plate before leaving the room.  
I looked to see Bilbo standing in the empty pantry with his shoulders slumped. I walked over to stand next to him, "I brought you some food. I thought we could share," I said to him while offering the plate.  
He turned to look at me then down at the plate. He smirked as he grabbed the plate, "Thank you," He said, then set the plate down on one of the empty shelves.  
He and I both grabbed a strawberry and ate it. We smiled at each other as the juice from the strawberry ran down my chin.  
Just then, somebody in the dining room yelled, and everyone became quiet. The silence broke when someone gave a loud belch, and a few others followed along. They all started to laugh and yell over each other again. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. Bilbo, on the other hand, gave a loud sigh and clenched his jaw. "They really are nice dwarfs… well, most of them anyway," I chuckled. I looked back at the dwarfs; Kíli and Fíli were huddled close together laughing. Balin was sitting quietly and keeping to himself but would still laugh when another person made a joke. Dori was brushing a crumb off of Ori's shoulder while he tried to bat away Dori's hand. They all were having a merry grand time. But I knew they were going to have a very long and hard journey ahead of them. "They may not know me, but I know them, and they mean well," I said.  
There was silence for a while. "You really can see the future?" Bilbo finally asked me.  
I looked back at him. "I can't see into the future, but I know the future of this timeline because, in my world, you are all in a story. I know it's a bit confusing. But you have to trust me. If I change one little thing, one tiny thing, I could throw the whole timeline off, and the story might change drastically. I could end up killing one of them if I say anything about the future. That's why they mustn't know. Okay?"  
He nodded his head in agreement. He picked up a piece of chicken and took a bite out of it. I smiled, and I grabbed another strawberry. We sat in comfortable silence while eating our food for the rest of the dinner.  
A few of the dwarfs got up, implying they were done with their meal. Once Bilbo and I were done, I took the plate and set it down on the kitchen counter.  
While Bilbo started to yell again at the dwarfs.  
Dori offered me some tea, which I gladly accepted, and leaned against a wall between the kitchen and the hall to try and stay out of the way for I knew dishes were about start flying.  
I watched as everyone worked, smiling and still trying to wrap my head around being here, in Middle Earth.  
Bilbo was now yelling at Gandalf about the dwarfs inside his home, while Gandalf was calmly talking to him.  
Bofur looked my way as he leaned against a wall in the kitchen, he raised his glass at me, and I raised mine back at him.  
I finally heard Fíli say, "Here you go Ori, give it to me."  
The next thing I know, a plate goes flying by my head. "Let the fun begin," I mumbled to no one in particular.  
I couldn't help but sing along to the song as the dwarves cleaned up all the plates and cutlery. When the song was almost over, I threw my empty cup to Bifur, who caught it. I stood next to Gandalf, with the stack of dishes in front of us. I yelled the last lyric, "that's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"  
I laughed along with everyone else when Bilbo came in and was shocked to see that none of his dishes were broken or cracked.  
That's when a loud bang came from the door.  
We all went silent, then looked at the door; I turned to look at Gandalf, who looked at me in return, "He's here," He stated.

Gandalf opened the door, standing there as dramatic as could be was, Thorin Oakensheild. "Gandalf, I thought you said this place was easy enough to find. I lost my way, twice," Thorin said as he walked through the door.  
I looked at him, and that's when it hit me. Thorin and his nephew's fates were to die.  
"I wouldn't have found it at all, if it had not been for that mark on the door," He continued as he took off his cloak.  
Bilbo pushed passed Dwalin and I. "Mark? There is no mark on that door, it was painted a week ago!" Bilbo cried.  
"There is a mark, I've put it here myself," Gandalf said as he closed the door.  
"Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield," He continued.  
"So, this is the hobbit?" Thorin asks as he hands his cloak to Kíli.  
I could have sworn Thorin's face lit up when he turned to look at Bilbo. "Tell me, Mister Baggins, have you done much fighting?" Thorin asked.  
"Pardon me?"  
"Axe or sword, what's your weapon of choice?" Thorin asked, circling around Bilbo, observing him.  
"Well, I do have some skill at conkers, if you must know. But I fail to see why that's relevant." Bilbo said, trying to impress the dwarfs.  
"I thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Thorin joked.  
The other dwarfs laughed at the joke.  
I did not find it funny.  
Gandalf gestured towards me. "And this is Miss Alexandria Walker. She will be joining us for a part of our travels. If you will allow?" Gandalf asked.  
Thorin turned to me. I bowed my head to him.  
I felt a little intimidated as we stared at each other, but I never broke eye contact with him. He then said, "And what about you? Have you done much fighting?"  
"I know a fair bit with a bow," I replied.  
Which is true, I have taken a few classes of archery and was top of my class. But that was years ago, so I am a little rusty.  
He didn't seem satisfied with that answer. "I am also a beginner healer. I know Master Oin is your healer, but I can help him if the time comes, of course," I blurted out.  
For some reason, I felt I needed to impress him even more.  
Thorin looked at me as if he was trying to find something wrong with me. "Where may I ask, will you be traveling to?" He asked me.  
I looked behind him at Gandalf, "I have family on a farm, just east from here, just past The Last Bridge," I replied looking back at him.  
Gandalf and I had to think of something without telling them about visiting elves.  
Thorin gave me a look of hesitation, then finally grunted in satisfaction. I stepped out of his way so he could walk past me.  
Gandalf leaned against the wall and gave a massive sigh after the rest of the dwarfs followed Thorin. I snorted at him when he finally composed himself. He gave me a stern look before leaving to follow the rest of the dwarfs.  
I looked over at Bilbo, who was still standing there as if he was in a different world. I smirked at him, then cleared my throat. "So, what do you think?" I asked him.  
He blinked and shook his head. "About what?" He replied.  
I crossed my arms and gave him a knowing look. "About Thorin," I said.  
"He's very… arrogant," he finally said.  
I laughed at him. "That he is," I agreed with him, "but he will learn."  
He gave me a doubtful look in return.  
I laughed at him again and patted his shoulder. He smiled at me as we walked to the kitchen. We heard Thorin talking in the dining room, then he said, "quest."  
I could see that piqued Bilbo's interest, he walked over to the entryway, "you're doing a quest?" he asked as he popped his head in the dining room.  
"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light," Gandalf replied.  
"Here, let me help you," I offered.  
I lit a few candles on the wall to make to place a little brighter. Once that was done, I leaned against the frame between the dining room and hallway.  
Although I could hear the dwarfs talking, I wasn't listening to what they were saying. I was thinking about how I got here and why I was here. Was I dead? Was I in a coma, and this is where my conscience has brought me? I would have preferred Harry Potter or anywhere else for that matter. But the Hobbit? It made no sense. And if I was in a coma or dead, why can't I remember something tragic happening, like a car crash?  
When the dwarfs started yelling over each other, it snapped me out of my consciousness. Bilbo was pleading with them to stop. That's when Thorin roared, "enough!"  
He started to calm down the dwarfs with his speech, and I couldn't help but stare in awe and admire him. He was a good leader. And if he would have survived, he would have been a great king. Maybe I can write a letter and explain what would happen, that might help save Thorin and his nephews from their fate.  
I snapped out of my deep thoughts again by Gandalf, yelling, "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!" The room was getting darker as he shouted.  
He continued ranting about why Bilbo was a perfect fit for the company.  
Bilbo, however, disagreed on the matter. He was trying to argue with him but couldn't get a word in. Gandalf finished his reasons with, "There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest. And he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself." He looked at Bilbo in admiration.  
He turned to look at Thorin to give him a stern look, "You must trust me on this," he pressed, now only talking to Thorin.  
I couldn't see Thorin's face, but I knew he was studying Gandalf. He finally replied, "Very well, have it your way."  
Bilbo tried to argue once again, but no one was listening. "Give him the contract," Thorin said to Balin, ignoring Bilbo.  
Balin got up from his seat and gave Thorin a contract while describing what was in the contract. Thorin then shoved it into Bilbo's chest without even looking at him. Bilbo turned and walked into the hallway to read the contract.  
While Bilbo was mumbling the words on the contract, Thorin got up from his chair and leaned to whisper into Gandalf's ear.  
I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I knew what they were saying.  
Thorin was not going to be responsible for his safety or his fate. Gandalf looked at me as if I was going to say if Bilbo would be fine. But I can't answer that question. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. I discreetly put my finger up to my mouth and shook my head to signal him I wasn't going to give him an answer.  
We waited as Bilbo read the long list on the contract to himself, "Uh…' The present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof, including, but not limited to…lacerations. Evisceration," He said.  
I turned towards him. He flipped the page, and his eyes grew wide. "Incineration?" He asked as he turned towards us.  
"Oh, aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye," Bofur said casually.  
I turned towards him to give him a stern look, but he wasn't paying attention to me. He was watching Bilbo think it over. "You alright laddie?" Balin asked Bilbo.  
"Huh? Yeah, I fe…" He took some deep breaths and continued, "I feel a bit faint."  
That was my cue, I walked over and stood next to him. Bofur got up from his chair, "Think furnace, with wings."  
He was not helping this situation at all, I grabbed Bilbo's arm to help calm down. He shrugged it off then said, "I…I…I need air."  
"Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash!" Bofur continued.  
Bilbo took a few more deep breaths before standing up straight and smirking. He looked over at the dwarfs, "No," he said.  
I caught him just in time before he could hit the ground, struggling to hold him up.  
"Oh, very helpful, Bofur," I grunted before Gandalf could.

Bofur grabbed his legs, and we carried him to his chair by the fireplace. Gandalf followed behind us. "Bofur, can you grab some tea for mister Baggins?" I asked.  
He nodded his head, then left hastily. "Bilbo, can you hear me?" I asked him as I shook his shoulder.  
All I got in return was his head rolling to his side. I sighed; I rubbed my knuckles on his sternum.  
This is trick I learned from brothers in the army.  
He opened his eyes wide and gasped for air in response. "There he is. Don't sit up too fast," I warned him.  
He rubbed his head and sat up in the chair. "What happened?" He asked.  
"You fainted after reading the contract," I pointed to the paper in front of him, "I caught you just in time."  
Bofur came back into the room with the tea.  
"Thank you," He said, grabbing the cup.  
"Are you alright?" Gandalf asked.  
"I'll be alright. Just let me sit quietly for a moment."  
"You've been sitting quietly for far too long. Tell me, when did doilies and your mother's dishes become so important to you?” Gandalf spoke.  
Here came the lecture, I got up and walked over closer to the fireplace, the flames heating me up even more. “I remember a young hobbit who was always running off in search of Elves, in the woods. He'd stay out late, come home, after dark, trailing mud and twigs and fireflies. A young hobbit who would've liked nothing better than to find out what was beyond the borders of the Shire. The world is not in your books and maps. It's out there."  
Gandalf pointed to the window.  
There was silence as Bilbo looked out. "I can't just go running off into the blue! I am a Baggins, of Bag End!" He squeaked.  
"You are also a Took. Did you know that your great, great, great, great uncle Bullroarer Took, was so large he could ride a real horse?"  
Bilbo rolled his eyes; he reluctantly nodded his head. "Yes, well, he could! In the battle of Greenfields, he charged the goblin ranks; he swung his club so hard, it knocked the goblin king's head clean off, and it sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole. And thus, the battle was won, and the game of Golf invented at the same time."  
I snorted at the story.  
Bilbo looked down into his cup, "I do believe you made that up."  
Gandalf walked over and sat down in his chair, "Well, all good stories deserve embellishment. You'll have a tale or two to tell of your own when you come back."  
Bilbo chuckled, he looked up at Gandalf with his doe eyes "Can you promise that I will come back?"  
Gandalf looked over at me then back at him, "No. And if you do, you'll not be the same."  
"Then, can you promise me?" He whispered, looking at me with his doe eyes.  
I stood there looking at him, wanting to tell him he will come back alive, but in return, he will lose three of his great friends. Then burden his cousin with the One Ring. "I'm sorry, Bilbo I can't tell you that. It's for you to decide whether or not you go on this trip." I reluctantly said.  
He sighed, "That's what I thought," He rose to his feet, "Sorry, Gandalf, I can't sign this. You've got the wrong hobbit."  
We watched him leave, Gandalf sighed. "Can you at least tell me if he does come?" He asked, staring at the contract.  
I thought about it, there really was no consequence in telling him. I walked over and patted his shoulder. "Let's just say when the dwarfs start taking bets, place all your wager on him coming."  
He looked at me and chuckled, and I smiled back.  
I walked into the dining room and sat down next to Ori, writing in his book. I yawned, feeling the tiredness wash over me. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Today has been a long and eventful day.  
"You have quite the reflexes Lass, catching the hobbit quickly like that," I heard someone say to me.  
I looked up to see Fíli's and Kíli's blue and brown eyes staring at me across the table. "Hmm? Oh yes, I guess you could say that."  
"Will Mister Boggins be alright?" Kíli asked.  
I laughed at him, "it's Baggins," I corrected, "and yes, he just fainted.”  
"I told you it was Baggins!" Fíli yelled, shoving Kíli.  
Kíli rolled his eyes as I chuckled at him.  
"Did Mister Baggins agree to the contract?" Ori asked.  
I shook my head no at him. He slumped down in his chair. "Maybe you could be our burglar, Miss," he said, hopefully.  
"Oh, I mean, I-."  
"Don't be ridiculous Ori, no one can just drop everything and help a couple of dwarfs," Kíli said.  
"What's your story then, Miss Walker?" Fíli asked.  
My mind froze, "I don't have a story," I stuttered, “And call me Alex.”  
"Sure, you do, Alex! Why are you traveling?"  
All three of them leaned forward in their chair. I have lied to the dwarfs more than I already wanted, so I told them the truth. "I woke up this morning, and my family was gone. So I'm hoping when I get to my destination, that I will find them safe."  
It may not be the whole truth, but it was enough for their satisfaction. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you find your family again," Ori said.  
The other two nodded in agreement.  
“Thank you, I hope so too,” I replied.

We eventually all migrated to the parlor, everyone was doing their own thing quietly. I was writing to you in this journal. Bofur sat and smoked his pipe, and Thorin stared into the fire. Suddenly, Thorin started singing the Misty Mountains quietly at first, then the other dwarfs joined in.  
I can't even begin to describe how beautiful they sounded. The way they harmonized was like they were all feeling the same emotion. All the loss, guilt, and sadness. All coming out of their voices. Hearing the song in real life made the song even more moving than it does in the movies. My eyes started to sting as they sang. I wish I could yell at them and say, they will get their Lonely Mountain back, but it came with the price of losing their king and his kin. I am going to help these dwarfs before I leave for home. I'm still hoping home, is a place where I can get back to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this next chapter. I really love the Misty Mountains song. The version I listen to the most is the Calamari De Profundis version of the song. If you haven't heard of them, I highly recommend them. They do a lot of other songs that you would hear in Middle Earth.


	3. The blue owl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex has a secret that even she didn't know about.

Dear C,

The sun wasn’t even up yet when I was awoken by the dwarfs. We all slept on the floor of Bag End. Some were in the parlor (which was where I was put), others in the hall, and even some in the kitchen. The hardwood floor was definitely not the best place to lay. So to say my back is sore is an understatement. Still, it was better than the rocks that are in the future.  
I got dressed in an empty room I found, struggling to put on the stupid corset. Finding a place on the road for privacy was going to be a challenge. Maybe I could ask Bilbo or Gandalf for help.  
I walked into the hallway to see if I could help someone when something green came flying at my face!  
I somehow caught it just in time.  
It was an apple.  
I looked up to see Fíli walking by, smirking. He looked at me and winked. I shook my head at him, but I couldn’t help but smirk back. Trying to hide it by taking a bite of the apple.  
When everyone was packed and ready to leave, I made sure the contract was somewhere Bilbo could see it. It was still sitting in the parlor where he had left it. “See you soon, Bilbo,” I whispered before leaving.  
I looked around the hobbit hole one last time before shutting the door behind me, realizing this will be the last time I will see it.

Thorin had split us up in half. One half went to go and restock supplies. The other went to prepare the ponies that were at the stables.  
I was put in the group to get ponies, along with Thorin, Dwalin, Gloin, Bofur, Bifur, and Gandalf.  
I was hesitant about how much work would get done with Kíli and Fíli being in the same group.  
We walked down the path that leads to the sables. The sun was now on the horizon, giving off pink and yellow colors in the sky. I took a deep breath of the brisk morning air, closing my eyes as I did so. “What are you wagering on, Miss Alex? Do you think Bilbo will show up?” Bofur asked me.  
“I don’t have any coin, but if I did, I would bet on him coming,” I answered, giving Gandalf a knowing look.  
I heard someone scoff upfront. “You disagree, Master Dwalin?” I asked.  
“Aye, I do. That tiny hobbit just fainted looking at the contract. Can you imagine if he did come on this quest? He would die of fright just looking at the beast,” He scoffed.  
It’s no surprise to me that Dwalin would be a doubter. I turned to Thorin, who looked like he was trying to ignore the conversation altogether. “And you Master Oakenshield, what do you think?”  
Everyone was quiet, trying to listen in on the conversation. He turned his head towards me. “I think... it doesn’t matter whether or not he comes,” he said, emphasizing the word think.  
“What are you going to do if he doesn’t come?”  
“I will find someone else.”  
“You must have some opinion on the hobbit.”  
“My opinion is no concern of yours,” he snarled back.  
That shut me up.  
I fell further back in the group next to Gandalf. He gave me a pat on my back.

The man who owned the stables was not too pleased to have so many ponies to upkeep. It didn’t help that we had to wake him up so early. But Thorin gave him some extra coin for his troubles and bought a pony for me to ride. That seemed to please the hobbit. He helped us put on the saddles for the ponies. Even teaching me how to do it, so I didn’t look so helpless. I turned to the pony Thorin just bought from him. She had a chestnut brown coat; dark enough, it almost looked black. The only way you could tell it was brown by the sun hitting her coat just right.  
“What’s her name?” I asked, petting the pony’s head.  
The stableman who was adjusting the pony’s saddle said, “Rose. She’s a bit feisty at first, but once she gets to know you. She will be your friend forever,” He patted her on her side when he was done.

Once the ponies were ready, we all agreed to meet at the edge of the Shire. We still waited for the other group to show up. Bofur and Bifur were talking amongst themselves. Along with Gloin, Gandalf, and Dwalin. Thorin was by himself further ahead, leaning against a tree. Most likely brooding.  
I walked up to him, standing a few feet behind him. “Master Oakenshield, I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier. I had no right to ask you those questions, you told me what you thought, and I should have just left it at that,” I said to him; I wanted to be on good terms with him before I left for home.  
He didn’t turn my direction or make a sound; he just looked off into the distance. After a moment of silence, I sighed and turned around. “Apology accepted. I would like to apologize for my behavior as well.”  
I turned back towards him. He was still facing the other way. “I could have handled that differently, I… I apologize,” He said, turning to face me.  
I gave him a smile, “apology accepted.”  
He dropped his arms, “You trust people too much,” he stated.  
“And you don’t trust enough, but taking a look at your history, I don’t blame you,” I said, turning to pet one of the ponies.  
“And how would you know anything about my history?”  
I froze; I had given too much information away. “My father, he somehow knows a lot of the history of dwarfs. He would tell us stories of your family, including Smaug taking Erebor. And the Elves of Mirkwood not helping you,” I lied, turning to face him.  
He looked at me, “exactly why I don’t trust people, you’re hiding something.”  
I rolled my eyes at him, trying anything not to give myself away, “everyone has secrets Thor- Master Oakenshield. Forgive me if I want to keep mine to myself.”  
He stepped closer, “Not if the secret involves me,” he growled.  
He was smarter than I thought.  
He was a few inches shorter, but it felt like he was towering over me. “Now, what is it that you’re not telling us?”  
Before I could answer, we heard yelling coming down the road. It was the rest of the dwarfs. Thorin gave me one last look before walking past me.  
I tried to get my breathing back to normal before I turned back around to follow Thorin.  
Kíli and Fíli were laughing and pushing each other around. While the others were following behind. Thorin yelled their names and something else in what I think was khuzdul, which is the language that dwarfs use. Their faces dropped instantly, and both ran up to him. He yelled something else at them as they both dropped their heads, “Yes, Uncle,” they said in unison.  
I bit my tongue to keep myself from talking, “It’s best to stay away from him,” Gandalf said from behind me.  
I shook my head in agreement.

After everything was packed on the ponies, we started riding. I have no experience riding a horse. So I was struggling a bit, holding on to Rose’s reins until my knuckles turned white. “You know it’s easier to ride when you’re not so stiff,” Fíli said, galloping to ride next to me.  
“I’m trying not to,” I laughed nervously.  
“Just let go of the reins a bit, and try not to slouch too much.”  
“You think I slouch too much?”  
“What? No. Just, do you want my help or not?”  
I laughed at him, “I’m only joking, yes, please.”  
He laughed along, “Okay, now, let go of those reins a bit. There you go. Now, sit up, not too much, or your back will not be thanking you later, just like that, perfect. And now you’re a natural.”  
I did feel somewhat more comfortable than I had before, “Thank you, Fíli.”  
He nodded his head in response, then turned his head to face forward. We sat there in comfortable silence. “I may need to apologize for your uncle yelling at you earlier. I had put him in a foul mood,” I said.  
“No need to apologize. That’s just Uncle,” he whispered that last part. I grinned at him, then suddenly his face fell, “he means well. It’s just... he has a lot on his mind. Everyone, including his own kin, is watching him. Whether or not if he will succeed, or fail.”  
I never thought of it that way. That is a lot of weight on his shoulders for just one king.  
I nodded my head, not knowing what to say.  
“So Alex is an interesting name,” he said, trying to make small talk.  
“Oh, now you’re picking on my name?”  
He laughed, “I just mean, I never heard that name before. Is it a common name among your race?”  
“Yes, it is,” well in our world, “My full name is Alexandria Walker, but I just go by Alex. It’s just shorter.”  
“Alexandria is a beautiful name,” He said, turning to me.  
It became hot all of a sudden.  
“Wait! Wait!” someone yelled.  
We all stopped and turned around, it was Bilbo! He ran towards us, waving the contract in his hand. “I signed it,” he said proudly to Thorin.  
He gave the contract to Balin, who checked it.  
I looked at Bilbo and winked at him. He rolled his eyes but was still grinning.  
“Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield,” Balin said.  
Bilbo’s smile didn’t fade until he focused on Balin’s pony. Thorin smirked, “Give him a pony,” he said before riding on.  
Bilbo tried arguing, saying something about walking, but Kíli and Bofur put a stop to that when they picked up the hobbit and put him on the spare pony.  
I laughed as Bilbo yelled and struggled to keep on.  
For some reason, On my way by Phil Collins kept playing inside my head as we rode on.

We rode along in the woods for another ten minutes. Every time I looked back at Bilbo, he just stared at his pony in disgust. “Come on, Nori! Pay up,” Oin yelled. Nori huffed before he tossed a bag back at Oin, who, of course, caught it.  
Soon the rest of the dwarfs joined in. “What’s that about?” Bilbo asked Gandalf.  
“Oh, they took wagers on whether or not you’d turn up. Most of them bet that you wouldn’t.”  
“And what did you think? Or did Alex already tell you?” He whispered that last question.  
“Alex didn’t tell me whether or not you would come,” He defended himself.  
Which wasn’t a complete lie. I could feel the wind from the bag of coins flying past my face. Gandalf caught it. “My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second.”  
Bilbo suddenly sneezed, “Oh, it’s horsehair. Having a reaction,” he mumbled.  
I heard him shuffling around in his pockets, “Uh…wait, wait. Stop! Stop! We have to turn around,” he yelled.  
We all stopped once again, “What on earth is the matter?” Gandalf asked.  
“I forgot my handkerchief.”  
Bofur tore off a piece of his clothing, “Here, use this,” he said, then threw it back at Bilbo.  
Bilbo caught and just stared at it in disgust. Some of the dwarfs laughed at him. “Move on!” Thorin yelled.  
“Before we do that,” Gandalf interjected, “I want to check something,” he said, before getting off his horse.  
I could hear Thorin sigh from all the way back to where I was.  
Gandalf came closer to me and held out a hand to help me off my pony. I looked at him in confusion before getting off my pony. I stood there awkwardly while he spun around me, observing me. He then put his hand up to my forehead, closed his eyes, and mumbled something under his breath. “Can I help you with something, Gandalf?” I asked, a bit uncomfortable.  
He put his hand down and stared at me, “That’s what I thought. Now, Alex, close your eyes and think of an animal.”  
“What?” I laughed, thinking this was a joke.  
“Just do it, so we can get on with our lives,” Dwalin yelled.  
“Alright, fine,” I sighed.  
I closed my eyes and thought of my favorite animal, which, you know, is an owl. I thought of a snowy owl just like Hedwig from Harry Potter. But then I thought of a snowy owl having blue on the tips of its wings.  
I opened my eyes again to give Gandalf a piece of my mind. But when I looked up at him, he was gigantic! I turned to look at the rest of the dwarfs. They were also large in size. I looked down at myself. Instead of hands, I had wings! That’s when I understood I was an owl! I started yelling, no, hooting, and running around in circles, freaking out, thinking I was losing my mind. “Alex, calm down,” I heard Gandalf say, his voice was louder than it should have been, “just close your eyes and think yourself human again.”  
I stopped running and closed my eyes. When I opened them back up, I was human again. Everyone was just as shocked as I was. “What did you do to me?” I asked Gandalf, trying to control my breathing.  
“You, my friend, are a beorning. I only know one skin-changer, and I thought he was the last of his kind.”  
“I’m a skin-changer? How is this possible?” I asked, still looking at my hands.  
“I don’t know; maybe your answers lie in the place you seek. Now, you can either ride with us,” He grunted, getting on his horse, “or, you could fly.”  
I took a moment to think about it. This would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to turn into an animal. I closed my eyes again, and when I opened them, I changed back into an owl, noticing this time the blue on the tips of my feathers. Feeling a bit nervous and excited, I took off into the sky.  
My owl instincts took over and told me when to flap my wings. The wind blowing in my face felt incredible as I flew higher into the air. I could feel the air passing through my feathers. When I reached the top of the highest tree and landed on one of its branches. Everything looked, smelled, and sounded different. I could hear Thorin yell to continue on. I followed along with the group, wishing this dream never stopped.

After an hour of flying, I decided to turn back into my usual self. I sat on top of Rose, stretching out my arms, knowing they would be sore later. “Did you know?” Bilbo asked me.  
“Did I know I was a skin-changer? No. We don’t have shapeshifters, wizards, or hobbits in my world, only man,” I whispered.  
“Doesn’t it make you uncomfortable? “  
“What?”  
“To know everyone’s future here, except your own?”  
I had never thought about it. I knew most of the dwarf’s fate in Thorin’s company, including Bilbo’s and Gandalf’s. But never even thought about what my future was.  
Was I able to return home with the help of the elves? Or is it my fate to die here in Middle earth? The more I thought about it, the more nervous I got. “Sure, but you don’t know your fate either, and yet here you are,” I said jokingly, trying to keep my anxiety at bay.  
“Yes, well, I know you won’t actually let me die,” he said.  
When I didn’t reply, he gulped, “Right?”  
I just smiled at him, “Alex?” He asked, hoping to get a response out of me.  
I rode past him and a few other dwarfs to talk to Ori. I could hear my name being called again, but I ignored him.

The tall trees of the forest turned into open land and rolling hills as we traveled on our journey. A few times, I turned back into an owl and flew around or sat on top of Gandalf’s shoulder. Which he gladly let me as he rambled on about random things. It was mostly him talking to himself.

As the sun began to set, Thorin decided it was time to set up camp. He decided to set up near the edge of a cliff. Bilbo and I help set up by gathering wood for the fire and helping Bombur chop vegetables.  
We sat next to each other when we started eating. Bilbo looked exhausted and sore from riding all day. I felt the same way. But that didn’t stop him from scarfing down his food like it was his first meal he had in days. Hobbits eat way more meals a day than any human or dwarf. He was practically starving himself on this journey. I was going to have to talk to Bombur or Thorin about it. I was halfway done with my meal when I saw Bilbo looking down at his empty bowl. “Would you like the rest of my stew? I’m too full to eat the rest,” I lied.  
“Oh no, I’m fine,” he said, waving his hand at me.  
But he was staring at the stew in my hand. “I’ll take it,” Bofur said, who was sitting next to Bilbo.  
He reached out his hand, but I smacked it away. “I didn’t ask you,” I scolded, as he drew his hand back.  
“Bilbo, take it,” I told him.  
He furrowed his eyebrows at me but reluctantly took it. “Thank you, but you don’t have to treat me like I’m delicate.”  
“I’m treating you like a friend. You don’t need to starve yourself.” I argued.  
“You don’t need to starve yourself either.”  
“I’m not. Those meals are bigger than I’m used to anyway,” I said, getting up from my seat.  
“Where are you going?” He asked.  
“I’m going on an adventure,” I smirked, walking away.  
I looked back at him and winked.  
I got a murderous look in return.  
I was just grabbing an apple from my pack. I walked away to the quiet area of the camp and stopped by the horses to pet Rose. I took a bite of the apple as I pet her, she tried snatching it out of my hand, but I swiped it away just in time. “You too, huh?” I asked her.  
She huffed in response. I took one more big bite out of the apple before giving the rest to her. She happily took it.  
That’s when I heard two people whispering to each other. I tried not to listen, but the voices got louder. “I do not trust her Gandalf, she is hiding something,” I heard Thorin say.  
The “her” most likely was referring to me. “Not everyone is out to get you, Thorin Oakensheild,” Gandalf argued, “has it ever occurred to you that maybe, she might be able to help you?”  
“Help me with what? She will be gone in a few days.”  
The leaves crunching beneath their feet grew louder. I quickly turned around and walked back to the group before I could be seen. It hurt to hear Thorin didn’t trust me. I can hear you say it now, C, “but in the end, you give him no reason to trust you.”  
I sat back down next to Bilbo, staring into the fire, lost in my own mind. It took me a second to realize Bilbo had asked something.  
“Hmm?”  
“I asked if everything alright?” He asked again.  
“Oh, yeah. I was just wondering how to keep the dwarfs from snoring so loudly.”  
He gave me a confused look. I sighed and patted his shoulder, “have fun tonight,” I said and gave him one last pat on his shoulder before walking away.

While Bilbo was kept awake with the sound of the dwarfs snoring, I was kept awake with my own thoughts. Tossing and turning in my bedroll, trying to find some comfortable spot and ignoring all the unanswered questions in my head.  
Defeated, I finally decided to get up and write to you. The moon shone bright, lighting my path, but I still had to sit by the fire to write.  
I stepped over the dwarfs like it was a minefield. I ended up stepping on Bofur’s hat in the process, it was lying next to him, but when I took my foot off, he snatched it and started snuggling it.  
I had to keep myself from laughing.  
Eventually, that path that I took out of the maze was near Gandalf, who sat smoking his pipe near the cliff. “Good evening, Gandalf,” I sighed.  
He chuckled, amused with the scene that just played out. “Good evening, Alex,” he replied.  
I began to walk over to the fire when he called my name. I turned back to him. He then stood up and walked over to me, and leaned down to whisper. “We need to talk.”  
I nodded my head in agreement, thinking about the argument between Thorin and Gandalf earlier. I looked around at all the dwarfs, Thorin was still sleeping, and Bilbo was shuffling, trying to keep his eyes shut. I looked back at Gandalf, “Not now, and not here tomorrow before we leave.”  
He grunted, satisfied with my answer, and went back to his spot. I turned to walk to the fire, sitting down across from Kíli and Fíli. Fíli bowed his head to greet me. I smiled back at him. They murmured amongst themselves as I started writing.  
With the little light I had, I will be writing to you during the day from now on.  
A few minutes later, I heard some shuffling, and the next thing I knew, the youngest Durin Sons were on either side of me. “So, Lass,” Fíli started.  
I rolled my eyes at him and closed the journal. “We were just curious of what you could possibly be writing in that book of yours,” he finished, as Kíli blew a smoke ring.  
“I think it’s none of your business,” I said, holding the journal close to my chest.  
“Aww, come on, Alex, tell us. Just to pass the time?” Kíli persuaded.  
I first looked at Kíli then at Fíli; both gave me this imperfect version of puppy dog eyes. Kíli even added a pouty lip. I never liked peer pressure, but let me tell you the look on their faces when I handed it to Fíli. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing, hoping I didn’t wake anybody. “It’s all gibberish,” Fíli said, confused and disappointed. He handed it to Kíli, who then tried to flip it upside down, then sideways, hoping that would help.  
“It’s not gibberish. Well, maybe to you, but to me, I know perfectly well what it says,” I laughed.  
“What do you mean?” Kíli asked.  
“It’s written in a language called French.”  
I write in French to keep my secret from prying eyes like Kíli and Fíli.  
“I’ve never heard of french before,” Fíli said.  
“Yes, well, it’s not a language much use. Just like your language, Khuzdul,” I said, taking back my journal.  
“Only because it’s a very personal language among the dwarfs,” Kíli defended.  
“Is french a personal language among the men?” Fíli asked.  
“Not really.”  
“Will you teach us then?”  
“Teach you french?” I laughed like it was a joke.  
He nodded his head in response. “Even if I wanted to, we won’t be spending enough time together to teach you.”  
“Oh, come on, Alex, please. What if someone important comes to Erebor, and they only speak French? Who is going to translate? No one, all because you wouldn’t teach us,” Kíli said, crossing his arms.  
Fíli nodded in agreement.  
Litteral children.  
I laughed at the ridiculousness of the story. French doesn’t even exist in Middle Earth. But of course, they didn’t know that. “Alright, the most I can do is teach you the basics. We can start tomorrow.”  
“Yes! I mean, we’ll be grateful for anything you can teach us,” Fíli said, trying to contain his excitement.  
I waved my hand at him, then stared into the fire. While Fíli and Kíli went back to talking.  
This will be quite interesting.  
“You didn’t tell us what you’re writing in your journal,” Fíli said after a while. Kíli was grabbing wood to build the fire back up.  
I looked back at him, his blue eyes meeting green ones. I thought about how to answer this question before answering him, “I’m writing letters to a friend of my travels. Hoping she’ll be able to read it, that’s if I see her again.”  
“You will see her again. I’ll see to it. Even if that means walking you all the way to your family’s farm.”  
I laughed at him, “Thank you, Fíli, but it’s not that simple.”  
“what do you-”  
“Alright, that’s done. What did I miss?” Kíli said, sitting back down next to me.  
“I was telling Fíli that I’m writing letters to a friend in my journal and a few songs,” I said.  
I was trying to move the subject back to the journal.  
Fíli still stared at me in confusion. “Wait, you’re a bard?” Kíli asked.  
“No, no, I just write lyrics to songs I’ve heard before.” I laughed.  
They’re just songs that get stuck in my head. Songs that definitely don’t exist here.  
“But, you do sing them?” Fíli asked.  
“Only to myself.”  
“Could you sing us one?”  
Before I could answer, I saw Bilbo stand up and walk over to Myrtle, the pony. “Maybe later, I want to finish my letter,” I said, opening my book and pretending to write. I felt someone watching me and turned my head to see Fíli staring at me. He looked away, focusing on the fire. I just smiled and went back to looking at my journal.  
We heard a screech, and all looked in the direction it came from. Bilbo came running up to us, “What was that?” he asked.  
“Orcs,” Kíli replied.  
“Orcs?”  
“Throat cutters. There’d be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them. “They strike, in the wee small hours, when everyone’s asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood.” Fíli said.  
I glared at him, but he wasn’t paying attention.  
“They strike, in the wee small hours, when everyone’s asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood.” Kíli added.  
Bilbo looked around nervously. I punched them both in the arm when they started laughing. I think it hurt me more than it hurt them.  
“Hey, what was that for?” Kíli asked, rubbing his arm.  
“Quit teasing him. It’s not funny.”  
“It is a little bit,” he laughed.  
“You think that’s funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?” Thorin asked, appearing by the fire.  
Kíli and Fíli both drop their heads, “We didn’t mean anything by it,” Kíli said.  
“No, you didn’t. You know nothing of the world.” Thorin growled.  
He turned his head to look at me.  
I gave him a stern look back in return. He grunted, then stalked off by the horses.  
Both Kíli and Fíli looked like wounded animals.  
“Don’t mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs,” Balin said, staring at Thorin. “After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria.”  
Of course, you know this story already, so I’m not going to write everything he said down here. The brave prince fighting off Azog with nothing but an oaken branch as a shield, get it, Oakenshield.  
As I was listening, I saw each dwarf slowly waking up one by one to listen to the story. “And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow, there is one I could call king,” Balin finished.  
Thorin did his dramatic turnaround and saw us staring at him with nothing but awe and respect, including me. “And the Pale Orc? What happened to him?” Bilbo asked.  
It made me jump a bit when he broke the silence.  
“He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago,” Thorin said, walking back to his sleeping area.  
He’ll find out soon enough that isn’t true.  
I stood up while I cleared my throat. “Well, I think it’s time to turn in, Kíli, Fíli; thank you for a lovely evening,” I said before walking away.  
That snapped everyone out of their own world. A few of them laid back down, while others sat and whispered to each other.  
As I walked back, I tried not to think or look at the orcs that I knew were across the way, hidden by the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’m sure you guys have a huge question on your mind; Why can she change into an owl if she's from our world? All I can say is all will be answered. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Roast Owl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex has a diffrent plan to deal with the trolls.

Dear C,  
As everyone prepared for the new day, Gandalf and I found a private spot near the horses to talk.  
“Thorin does not trust you,” Gandalf started, leaning on his staff.  
“Yes, I am very well aware of that, thank you,” I said, pacing.  
“We need to tell him.”  
“It was your idea not to tell him,” I argued.  
Can you imagine Thorin’s reaction if a random stranger he already doesn’t trust starts telling him his nephews will die at the end of his quest?  
Gandalf sighed in frustration. He took out his pipe and started cleaning it. “We need to tell him something.”  
I sat down on a branch, “We have to tell him where I’m really going.”  
He choked after smoking from his pipe, “He will not take it well,” he coughed as he sat next to me.  
“It is a risk I’m willing to take.”  
He grunted in return before taking a puff of his pipe. Whether it was a good grunt or a bad one, I could not tell.  
“I will go and bring him back here,” I said, getting up.  
“Alex, all this knowledge, it must be a burden. Surely you can trust somebody to talk to about it?”  
I sighed. Who could I trust? Definitely not Thorin. Bilbo? He is not ready to carry this burden. And Gandalf, I can trust to a certain extent. Trust doesn’t come easy with me, not ever since… well, you know.  
“I’m sorry, Gandalf, I can’t.”  
I turned and walked away before he could reply.

I found myself standing behind Thorin, who was packing up his sleeping roll while talking to Dwalin.  
I cleared my throat to make my presence known. Dwalin looked up at me as Thorin ignored me. “Master Oakenshield, I would like to speak with you in private.”  
I heard him sigh. He turned to Dwalin, who was still staring at me, then said something in Khuzdul. Dwalin laughed at whatever he said.  
I rolled my eyes.  
Thorin finally turned to me, “lead the way.”  
He followed me back to the area where Gandalf and I were talking. Gandalf sat looking at the rain clouds in the distance that were approaching fast.  
“What is that you need? If you haven’t noticed, we still have months of travel left.” Thorin said, crossing his arms.  
Gandalf and I looked at each other before I said, “It has come to my attention that you do not trust me,” Thorin snorted, “and with good reason. I haven’t been fully truthful on where I was heading.”  
He raised an eyebrow at me, “Oh? And where is it that you are traveling to then?”  
My heart was pounding in my chest.  
“To Rivendell, to seek the elves’ help.”  
I thought he would yell, tell me to get out of his sight.  
But instead, he laughed, “you must be a fool to think they will help anyone. They only help themselves.”  
“You can think I’m a fool all you want, but at least, I am willing to ask for help,” I argued.  
He glared at me, and I glared back.  
It was this silent argument going on between us.  
“You can come along with us until we are close to the Hidden Valley. But I will not go near that place,” he finally said.  
I sighed in relief, “Thank you,” I replied.  
He turned to leave. But then I remember something.  
“Master Oakenshield?” I called out to him.  
He stopped but didn’t turn around. “Master Baggins is a hobbit. He eats more than any dwarf or man. Is there any chance he could have bigger portions of meals? He’s practically starving himself. But he is too proud to say anything.”  
He didn’t say anything for a while, “I will see what I can do.”  
It began to rain as he left.  
“Well, that went better than I thought,” Gandalf said, taking another puff from his pipe.

As we continued on our journey, it had begun to rain on us. No, not just rain, DOWNPOUR ON US!  
I am soaked to the bone! The trees that were near the path gave us little to no cover.  
“Here, Mr. Gandalf?” Can’t you do something about this deluge?” Dori yelled.  
“It is raining, master dwarf. And it will continue to rain until the rain is done! If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard.” Gandalf replied.  
“Are there any?” Bilbo asked Gandalf.  
Oh, Bilbo. Poor soul didn’t even have a hood to cover himself.  
“What?”  
“Other wizards?”  
“There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, The White. Then there are the two blue wizards,” he paused to think, “Do you know, I’ve quite forgotten their names.”  
Ah yes, Saruman the traitor, I’m going to have to warn Gandalf later of his betrayal.  
“And who is the fifth?”  
“Well, that would be Radagast, The Brown.”  
“Is he a great wizard, or is he… more like you?”  
I snorted at that last comment but tried to hide it with a cough. It didn’t work, though, because I got a stern look from Gandalf.  
“I think he’s a great wizard, in his own way. He’s a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always evil will look to find a foothold in this world.”  
He continued to ramble on to Bilbo, while I galloped ahead to Ori, who seemed to be the only one pleasantly okay with the rain. “You know, you and I seem to have a lot in common,” I said to him.  
“Hmm, how so, miss?”  
“Well, we both like to write and have very protective older brothers.”  
“I am right here, you know,” Nori yelled in front of us.  
“I know, that’s why I said it,” I replied.  
He waved me off.  
Ori giggled, “they mean well, Miss. They almost didn’t let me on this journey, but they were worried something terrible might happen to me if I was left alone. I might have given them that idea.” He smiled.  
I chuckled at that.  
Then his face went serious. “We were there when the dragon attacked. I was too little to remember anything, but Dori says I was very brave. Our parents did not make it out in time. Dori has raised us ever since. Have you ever lost someone, Miss?” He asked.  
I was silent for a while. Asking myself if I should answer truthfully or not. But he had just opened up to me.  
“My mother, she died of this sickness called Cancer. There is no cure for it. I was 17,” was all I said.  
We sat there in silence for a minute as if we were honoring the dead.  
“Then that is another thing we have in common then, we both lost our mothers,” Ori said.  
I felt a lump forming in the back of my throat.  
“Excuse me, I have to ask Oin something,” I croaked.  
He bowed his head. I fell back in the line so I could ride next to Oin. I cleared my throat before talking, “Oin? What does a poisonous plant look like?”  
He gave me a weird look.

The rain had finally stopped, and the sun had begun to shine. But it wasn’t for very long, because it was already starting to set. We finally stopped outside of an old ruined farm.  
“We’ll camp here for the night,” Thorin said as everyone got off their horse, “Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them,” he commanded.  
Fili and Kili agreed with no hesitation. But they are not going to do an excellent job at it.  
We all started to unpack while Gandalf looked around the ruined farm.  
“A farmer and his family used to live here,” he mumbled.  
“Please don’t tell me this is where your family lived, Alex?” Bofur asked me.  
At first, I was confused about why he was asking me that. I then realized what I had told them. “Oh no, thank goodness. But this poor family,” I said as I began to examine the house.  
There had been a small doll on the floor left abandoned. I picked it up to look at it. Some of its black hair had been pulled out of it. Hopefully, this family made it out in time before the trolls got them, but my hopes were not too high.  
“I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the hidden valley.” Gandalf suggested to Thorin.  
“I’ve told you already. I will not go near that place.” He argued.  
“Why not? The Elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice.”  
“Unlike some people, I do not need their advice,” He said, looking at me.  
I rolled my eyes at him.  
“We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us,” Gandalf tried to persuade.  
“Help? A dragon attacks Erebor. What help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the Elves looked on and did nothing! You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather, who betrayed my father.”  
“You are neither of them. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past.”  
“I did not know they were yours to keep,” Thorin said roughly.  
Gandalf huffed and walked away in anger and frustration.  
“Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going,” Bilbo asked as Gandalf walked to his horse.  
“To seek the company of the only one around here who’s got any sense,” Gandalf said as he got on his horse.  
“And who’s that?”  
“Myself, mister Baggins! I’ve had enough of dwarves for one day.”  
Then he rode off.  
“Is he coming back?” Bilbo asked me.  
“Eventually,” I said truthfully.

Later that night, Bofur and Bombur cooked a great stew.  
Bilbo scarfed down his food once again and was done within minutes.  
I was about to give him mine, but then a shadow fell over us.  
Thorin was standing above us.  
“It has come to my attention that hobbits eat more than a common dwarf,” He said as he offered Bilbo another bowl of stew, “take as many portions as you need.”  
“Uh, no, no, I’m fine,” Bilbo argued.  
“Take it, we can’t have you dying from starvation before you even get to Erebor,” Thorin insisted.  
Whether it was from hunger or politeness, Bilbo finally took the bowl from Thorin.  
“Uh, thank you,” He said to Thorin.  
Thorin gave a grunt in reply, then left.

We finished up our meals, and most of the dwarfs were getting ready to settle down. While I was on my guard, hoping the trolls wouldn’t hear us.  
“He’s been a long time,” Bilbo said.  
I had jumped at the sound of his voice.  
“Bilbo,” I sighed in relief as I put a hand up to my heart, “What?”  
“Sorry. I said Gandalf, he’s been a long time,” He said nervously, looking in the direction Gandalf took off from.  
“He’s a wizard! He does as he chooses. Here. Do us a favor, take this to the lads,” Bofur said, giving Bilbo two bowls.  
Bofur turned back to Bombur, who was helping himself to some food. He smacked Bombur’s hand away. “Stop it. You’ve had plenty.”  
“Here, let me help you,” I offered to Bilbo.  
He gave me one of the bowls, and we went in the direction Kili and Fili were. “Are you sure Gandalf will come back?” Bilbo asked me.  
I sighed, “Yes, he will eventually come back.”  
“Why do you keep saying, eventually?”  
“Shh,” I said as we got into earshot of the two brothers.  
Fili and Kili were both just standing and staring at the ponies.  
“What’s the matter?” Bilbo asked.  
“We’re supposed to be looking after the ponies,” Kili said.  
“Only… We’ve encountered a slight problem,” Fili added, turning to look at Kili.  
I put down the bowl and walked over to Rose, trying to calm her down from being spooked.  
“We had sixteen.”  
“Now there’s fourteen.” Fili finished.  
I looked to see which ponies were missing, “Daisy and Bungle are missing,” I said.  
“What well, uh, that’s not good,” Bilbo said.  
We walked up to a few trees that were uprooted, “And that is not good at all. Shouldn’t we tell Thorin?” He added.  
“Uh… no. Let’s not worry him. As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it,” Fili said.  
I looked at him in bewilderment. How was that logical? Yes, let’s send the one who is the least experienced.  
We walked past the ponies and saw two giant trees that were uprooted.  
“Well, it looks as if something big uprooted these trees,” Bilbo said, suggesting to the fallen trees.  
Thank you, captain obvious.  
“Hey! There’s a light,” Fili yelled at Kili.  
We all rushed over to him. Bilbo somehow had picked up both the bowls of stew.  
“Stay down,” Fili warned.  
“What is it?” Bilbo asked.  
“Trolls,” I said before Kili could.  
“Stay behind us,” Fili said, pushing me behind him and Kili as they ran up closer.  
I rolled my eyes, “I’m not completely helpless, you know,” I said, as I pushed my way back in front.  
Fili tried to argue with me but stopped when a troll passed by us. We hid, and somehow Bilbo still had the bowls. “Give me those,” I said to him after the trolls passed.  
I grabbed the bowls out of his hands and shoved them to Kili and Fili.  
“We have to do something before they eat them,” Bilbo said.  
“Yes, you should. Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you’re so small. They’ll never see you,” Kili said while he was eating his stew.  
“That is a terrible plan. We cannot send Bilbo out by himself,” I argued.  
“Well, do you have another plan,” Fili asked.  
“Actually, I do. But you guys need to help me find the plant Hemlock.”  
Hemlock, according to Oin, is quite the poisonous plant.

Three trolls sat around a huge bonfire. One of them was stirring the stew, one was seated and blowing into a tissue. And the last one was putting the ponies in a fenced area.  
“Mutton yesterday, mutton today. And blimey, if it don’t look like mutton again tomorrow,” the one who was stirring the stew said.  
“Okay, are you ready?” I asked Bilbo.  
He looked a little nervous but shook his head yes.  
I closed my eyes and turned into an owl.  
“Well, it’s better than a leather ol’ farmer. All skin and bone he was. I’m still pickin’ bits of him our o’ me teeth,” said another troll.  
Well, that answered my question, if the family was alright.  
I grabbed the plants we just picked with one of my claws. I looked at Bilbo to signal him to go. He ran over to the other side of the camp where the horses were.  
One of the trolls suddenly sneezed right into the stew.  
I wanted to gag.  
“Oh! Well, that’s lovely, that is. A floater.”  
“Oh! Might improve the flavor!”  
All of a sudden, the horses started to freak out. All the trolls looked in that direction, distracting them.  
That was my cue to go.  
I flew into the air and towards near the trolls. I swooped down close to the stew and dropped the plant into it.  
But, the heat from the stew caught me off guard and made me lose my balance. I landed on the ground but hit one of the trolls as I did, catching his attention. He grabbed me before I could escape.  
“Oh, look, a snack,” he said.  
I turned back into a human before he could eat me.  
“Aah! Blimey,” he yelled as he dropped me, “Bert! Bert, look! It turned into a human!” He continued to cry.  
I groaned from the pain.  
“What is it?” another troll asked.  
I got up and ran for my life, but I didn’t get very far. Because a large hand blocked my path.  
One of them picked me up and started to open up its mouth. “Wait, wait!” I heard someone yell.  
Bilbo came out into the open. Bert, the troll, took out his knife and threatened Bilbo with it. “What are you then? An oversized squirrel?” Bert asked.  
“I’m a burglar.. Uh, hobbit,” Bilbo stammered.  
“A ‘burglar-hobbit’?”  
“Can we cook him?” the one that was holding me asked.  
“We can try!” the other one snarled.  
The three chased Bilbo around while I tried to get free. But his grip was too tight. And didn’t help he was flinging me around everywhere.  
“Grab him,” Bert called out.  
“He’s too quick,” another replied.  
“Gotcha,” the one who grabbed me grabbed Bilbo as well, “Are there any more of you little fellas hiding where you shouldn’t?” He asked us.  
Bilbo looked at me then back at the troll, “No,” I replied.  
“He’s lying! Hold their toes over the fire. Make them squeal!” Bert yelled.  
‘This was it,’ I thought, ‘this was how I am going to die.’  
Suddenly, Kili attacked a troll by striking his sword against his leg, making the troll scream and fall to the ground.  
“Drop them!” Killi yells, threatening them with his sword.  
“You what?” Bert askes.  
“I said,” he swung his sword around, “drop them.”  
The troll threw Bilbo and me at Kili. Kili caught Bilbo. And all the dwarves came rushing in from the bushes, attacking the trolls.  
But who was going to catch me? I closed my eyes and waited for the hard impact of the ground. But instead, I felt two hands wrap around me. I opened my eyes to see I was caught by Fili!  
“Thanks,” I said, getting up.  
He groaned in reply before he got up himself.  
All the dwarfs were fighting the trolls below, so I decided to attack from above. I turned back into an owl; I started attacking one of them in the head. He started swinging his hand in the air, but I was too quick and dodged him. One of them grabbed Ori. Dwalin and Thorin were quick to notice. Dwalin ran and jumped over the fire and landed on his hands and knees. While Thorin climbed and jumped off of him, attacking the troll’s arm so he would let go of Ori.  
I was too busy to remember what happened in the movie before it was too late. “Bilbo!” Kili yelled.  
Two of the trolls had a hold of Bilbo by his arms and legs.  
I flew over to the rest of the company and turned into a human.  
“Lay down your arms! Or we’ll rip his off!” Bert warned.  
Bilbo stared at Thorin with a terrified look on his face. Reluctantly Thorin doped his sword and the other dwarves followed suit.

They put some of us in bags, while the others (including myself) were on a spit over the fire. The heat from the flames licked at my face as one of the trolls kept rotating us. They started talking to each other, but from the fire crackling and the dwarfs complaining. I couldn’t hear a single word of what they were saying. ‘Don’t worry,’ I thought, ‘Gandalf will be here soon to help.’ But with every passing minute, I would lose some of my confidence.  
Bilbo yelled something, and everyone went quiet. I was finally able to hear what he was saying. “You are making a terrible mistake.” He said, out of breath.  
“You can’t reason with them. They’re half-wits!” Dori yelled from below me.  
“Half-wits? What does that make us?” Bofur asked.  
“I meant with the…uh, with the…with the seasoning,” Bilbo said, ignoring them.  
“What about the seasoning?” Bert asked.  
“Well, have you smelt them? You’re gonna need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up!”  
All the dwarves started to argue with Bilbo’s intervention.  
“What do you know about cooking dwarf?” The troll who was spinning us asked.  
“Shut up,” Bert interjected, everyone was quiet again, “and let the…uh, flurgerburbur-hobbit talk.”  
“Uh…the-the secret to cooking dwarf, is um…”  
“Yes? Come on.”  
“It’s, uh…”  
“Tell us the secret!”  
“Ye-yes, I’m telling you. The secret is…to…skin them first!” Bilbo finally said.  
All the dwarves again began to shout at Bilbo in anger.  
“Tom, get me filleting knife,” Bert commanded.  
“What a load of rubbish! I’ve eaten plenty with their skins on. Scoff ’em I say, boots and all!” The troll who was spinning us said.  
“He’s right! Nothing wrong with a bit o’ raw dwarf,” Tom said, picking up Gloin in his sack.  
He held him up in the air.  
Bilbo looked past us at something.  
‘Oh, thank goodness. This heat is becoming unbearable,’ I thought.  
“Uh…not…not that one, he… he’s infected!” Bilbo interrupts before the troll could eat Gloin.  
“You what?” Bert asked.  
“Yeah, he’s got worms in his…tubes.”  
Tom yelled and threw down Gloin in disgust.  
“In-in fact, they all have. They’re infested with parasites, it’s a terrible business, I wouldn’t risk it, I really wouldn’t,” Bilbo added.  
“Parasites? Did he say parasites?” Oin exclaimed.  
“Yeah, we don’t have parasites!” Kili added, “you have parasites!”  
Seriously Kili?  
I could see Thorin realize what Bilbo was doing and kicked Kili before he could say another word. All the dwarfs looked at him, and all at once, they came to the realization as well.  
Oin was the first to yell, “I’ve got parasites as big as my arm!”  
“Mine are the biggest parasites. I’ve got huge parasites,” Kili chimed in.  
“What would you have us do then? Let ’em all go?” Bert asked Bilbo.  
“Well…”  
“You think I don’t know what you’re up to. This little ferret is taking us for fools!”  
“Ferret?” Bilbo asked, looking offended.  
Finally, Gandalf yelled, “The dawn will take you all!”  
I looked over, and Gandalf had his staff raised in the air.  
“Who’s that?” One troll asked.  
“No idea,” another said.  
“Can we eat him too?” the last troll asked.  
Gandalf broke the cliff he was standing on, which let in the rising sun’s light. When it hit the trolls, they immediately started to yell and turn to stone.  
We all started to cheer and laugh with joy.  
“Ooh, get your foot out of my back,” I could hear Dwalin yell.

Finally, Ori untied me from the spit, “Thank you,” I said, rubbing my wrists.  
He nodded, then left to go help the others.  
I walked over to Bilbo, “See, I told you, eventually,” I smirked.  
“Yeah, yeah,” He waved me off as he walked away.  
Gandalf hit one of the trolls with his staff. “Where did you go to, if I may ask?” Thorin asked him.  
“To look ahead.”  
“What brought you back?”  
“Looking behind.”  
Thorin bowed his head as if he was apologizing.  
“Nasty business. Still, they all are in one piece.” Gandalf said, pointing to the dwarfs.  
“No thanks to your burglar,” Thorin argued.  
“He had the nous to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that,” Gandalf scorned him.  
Gandalf looked at the trolls again, “They must have come down from the Ettenmoors.”  
“Since when the mountain trolls venture this far south?” Thorin asked.  
“Oh, not for an age. Not since a darker power ruled these lands.” He mumbled that last comment.  
“The trolls, they could not have moved in daylight,” I said.  
Thorin looked at me, then his eyes grew wide in realization, “There must be a cave nearby.”

We walked around to find the trolls’ cave. Eventually, Dwalin and Ori found it. We walked inside to investigate. I gagged at the smell of it as we walked in.  
“Oh, what’s that stench?!” Bofur asked, trying not to throw up.  
“It’s a troll hoard. Be careful what you touch.” Gandalf warned.  
Some of the dwarfs found torches and lit them. We finally could see what was inside the cave.  
Chests full of gold and silver. Along with an armory full of weapons.  
“Seems a shame just to leave it lying around. Anyone could take it,” Bofur commented.  
“Agreed. Nori, get a shovel,” Gloin said.  
I rolled my eyes as the dwarfs began to bury their treasure. I walked over to Gandalf and Thorin, who discovered some swords. Thorin picked one up to examine it, “These swords were not made by any troll.”  
He gave the sword to Gandalf to look at it, then picked up another. “Nor were they made by any smith among men,” Gandalf said.  
I picked one up to look at it. Just picking it up; it felt lighter than it should have. I pulled it out a little to look at the blade. It was a sharp two-edged sword. It was grooved on the handle to get a firmer grasp. “These were forged in Gondolin, by the High Elves, of the First Age,” Gandalf said.  
Thorin instantly started to put it back. “You could not wish for a finer blade,” Gandalf yelled in a stern voice.  
Thorin thought about it for a second, then looked at the sword again.  
“Hey Alex, come here,” Kili said.  
I walked over to him and Fili.  
Fili was looking at the gold in a chest while Kili was testing out a bow. “Here, take this,” he said, giving me the bow in his hands, “I remember you said you were good with bows.”  
“Oh, thank you, Kili,” I said, examining it.  
I pulled it back to get a feel for it, it felt comfortable in my hand, and the restraint wasn’t too bad. “It suits you,” Fili said as they both looked at me.  
Kili handed me a quiver with arrows already in it. I put on the quiver and attached the bow. I also put on the scabbard that held the sword.

As some of us left the cave, Bofur, Gloin, and Nori were just finishing up burying the treasure into the ground.  
We walked out into the clean air. “The blade is of Elvish make, which means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby,” Gandalf said, giving Bilbo his sword.  
“I have…I have never used a sword in my life,” Bilbo laughed.  
“And I hope you never have to. But if you do, remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one.”  
One of the best quotes Gandalf says.  
“Well, now. Don’t you look the part?” Gandalf said, looking at me.  
“Whatever do you mean?” I asked him.  
“You look like your ready to go on an adventure.”  
“Gandalf, you know I’m leaving once we-, I reach Rivendell,” I corrected myself.  
Gandalf gave me a look like he knew something I didn’t.  
We started to hear branches snapping. “Something’s coming!” Thorin warned.  
“Stay together! Hurry now! Arm yourselves!” Gandalf yelled.  
All the dwarfs pulled out their swords. Pushing Bilbo and me in the middle of their kill circle.  
The sounds became louder and louder.  
Suddenly Radagast burst through the trees. “Thieves! Fire! Murder!”  
Really Radagast, are you and Thorin competing for who has the most dramatic entrance?  
“Radagast. It’s Radagast the Brown,” Gandalf said, putting away his sword, “what on earth are you doing here?” He asked Radagast.  
“I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something’s wrong. Something’s terribly wrong.”  
“Yes?”  
Radagast went to speak but stopped, lost in thought. “Just give me a minute. Um…Oh! I had a thought, and now I’ve lost it. It was…it was, was right there, on the tip of my tongue!”  
He stuck out his tongue, and Gandalf removed what was in his mouth.   
“Oh! It’s not a thought at all! It’s a silly old,… stick insect.”  
I forced myself to not gag.

We sat around as we waited for Gandalf and Radagast to talk. I stood close to them so I could hear what they were saying. “The Greenwood is sick, Gandalf. A darkness has fallen over it. Nothing grows anymore. At least nothing good. The air is foul decay, but worse is the webs.”  
“Webs? What do you mean?”  
“Spiders, Gandalf. Giant ones. Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant, or I’m not a wizard. I followed their trail. They came from Dol Guldur.”  
I suddenly felt sick just from hearing the name.  
“Dol Guldur? But the old fortress is abandoned,” Gandalf said as he studied me.  
I hate when he does that.  
“No, Gandalf. It is not. A dark power dwells in there, such as I have never felt before. It is the shadow of an ancient horror. One that can summon the spirits of the dead. I saw him, Gandalf. From out of the darkness, the Necromancer has come!”  
Radagast gasped, “Sorry,” he said.  
“The Necromancer. Are you sure?”  
Radagast took out a sword and gave it to Gandalf to look at.  
“That is not from the world of the living.”  
I jumped when I heard a warg howling.  
“Was that a wolf? Are there…are there wolves out there?” Bilbo asked.  
“Wolves? No, that is not a wolf.” Bofur said, looking around.  
Something growled from behind us, and we all turned to look. The beast launched itself as us. Kili killed it instantly with an arrow straight to its head. Another came bursting out through the trees. He shot another arrow at that one but missed its head. Thorin sliced through its neck.  
“Warg scouts! Which means an orc pack is not far behind!” Thorin yelled.  
“Orc pack?” Bilibo asked Gandalf.  
“Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?” Gandalf asked Thorin, ignoring Bilbo.  
“No one.”  
“Who did you tell?!”  
“No one, I swear! What in Durin’s name is going on?” Thorin yelled.  
Then he slowly turned to me, “Maybe it was her,” he raised his sword at me.  
“I would never do that,” I argued, getting a little nervous.  
“Really, how do we know that? You lied about where you were going,” he said, moving closer to me.  
“Stop! You are pointing fingers at the wrong people. You are being hunted,” Gandalf yelled, moving in front of me.  
“We have to get out of here,” Dwalin said.  
“We can’t! We have no ponies. They bolted,” Ori replied.  
“I’ll draw them off,” Radagast said, getting on his sled.  
“These are Gundabad wargs. They will outrun you,” Gandalf argued.  
“These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I’d like to see them try.”

We hid behind a large rock and waited until we saw Radagast leave with the orcs chasing him. “Come and get me!” He yelled at the orcs.  
“Come on,” Gandalf yelled after peaking around the rock to see if it was clear.  
We ran in the opposite direction of the orcs.  
But that didn’t last long, because they were in front of us again.  
It was a game of cat and mouse. Guess what animal we were.  
We ran from hiding place to hiding place. My chest began to burn from all the running.  
Ori almost gave away our position, but Thorin caught him just in time.  
“All of you, come on, quick!” Gandalf said hastily.  
We followed without hesitation, all except one. “Where are you leading us?” Thorin asked Gandalf.  
Gandalf looked at him. But gave no reply.  
We stopped to hide under a cliff. We could hear a warg was above our heads.  
Its heavy breathing made me more and more stressed with every breath it took. Bile began to form in my throat.  
I looked over to Thorin. He was indicating to Kili to use his bow.  
Kili took a deep breath and shot the warg down. But the orc lived. The rest of the dwarfs killed it by using their swords.   
But it didn’t die silently.  
It squealed and gave away our position.  
We heard one of the orcs yell something, then they all started heading our way.  
“Move! Run!” Gandalf yelled.  
The adrenalin took over my body, I ran as fast as I could, trying to keep up with the others, but the new bow and sword made it challenging to run.  
“Kili! Shoot them!” Thorin yells.  
Kili pointed an arrow at me.  
No, behind me. Turns out, there was a warg right on my tail.  
Kili shot it, killing it instantly.  
We looked around each other.  
“We’re surrounded!” Fili yelled.  
Where was that rock Gandalf went down? I couldn’t tell which one it was.  
Fili ran over and stood next to me. I took out my sword to defend myself.  
‘Hurry up, Gandalf,’ I thought.  
As if on cue, Gandalf appeared from behind the rock in question.  
“This way, you fools!” He yelled.  
We followed Gandalf behind the rock. I had overstepped and fell down the tunnel. Hitting my head on a rock.  
“... nine, ten…,” Gandalf said, counting Fili and me.  
Thorin and Kili were the last ones down.  
We could hear the orcs getting closer, but then a horn went off.  
The next sound was the sound of arrows being shot. An orc fell down into the tunnel.  
Thorin took out the arrow that had killed the orc and examined it.  
“Elves,” he growled, looking at Gandalf.  
“I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or not?” Dwalin asked Thorin.  
“We follow it, of course!” Bofur replied before Thorin could.  
“I think that would be wise,” Gandalf said, giving Thorin a look before walking away.  
We followed the path inside the tunnel.  
There was this feeling that kept getting stronger and stronger when walking down that path. A feeling that I cannot describe. The best way I can is it felt like magic.  
We turned a corner, which opened the path into a valley.  
“The Valley of Imladris, in the common tongue, it’s known by another name,” Gandalf said.  
“Rivendell,” Bilbo finished.  
This was it. I finally made it. I am finally coming home!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry, it’s been so long since I’ve updated! On Friday, I just learned that my nephew, who came to work all week last week, has the covid. So, I had to deep sanitize my work. My test came back negative, thank goodness. And my nephew is okay as well. He has mild symptoms.  
> So Alex finally made it to Rivendell. Will the elves be able to help? Or is she stuck in Middle Earth?  
> Sometimes when someone says something ridiculous or Thorin is being dramatic. I just want to write Alex looking into a nonexistent camera, like she's from The Office. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	5. Rivendell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin finally learns the truth about Alex.

Dear C,

Thorin was not happy when he had realized where we were at. “This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy,” He said to Gandalf.  
“You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself,” Gandalf scorned him.  
“You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us.”  
“Of course, they will,” Gandalf agreed, “But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact, and respect, and no small degree of charm, which is why you will leave the talking to me... and possibly Alex,” He added, walking away towards Rivendell.  
I gave him a confused look, “what do you mean ‘possibly’? I can be quite charming and respectful,” I said, catching up with him.  
“Oh yes, you can. You were so charming talking Thorin that he threatened you with his sword,” He argued.  
Fair enough. I did not make an effort to respond.

Rivendell is as magical in person as it is on screen. The buildings, the landscape, everything. The waterfall was soothing to hear. And there was a nice cool breeze cooling me down from running miles upon miles.  
As we walked across the bridge, Fili walked close to me and said, “stay close Alex, elves are dangerous.”  
He looked around. Paranoid, something was going to come out and get him.  
I rolled my eyes.  
“Nothing will harm you here.”  
“You don’t know that. You can’t trust elves,” Kili said, appearing next to Fili.  
He, too, was scouting the area.  
I sighed in reply.  
As we entered Rivendell, we were met by some elves.  
“Mithrandir,” one of them said, coming down the stairs.  
“Ah, Lindir,” Gandalf replied.  
Lindir said something in Elvish to Gandalf, but Gandalf replied in English.  
“I must speak with Lord Elrond.”  
“My Lord Elrond is not here.”  
“Not here? Where is he?” Gandalf asked.  
As if on cue, the sound of a horn went off, and the elf party came riding in.  
“Close ranks!” Thorin yelled.  
All the dwarfs drew their weapons and formed a kill circle. Bofur pulled Bilbo and me in the middle. The elves circled their horses around us, and one of them was Lord Elrond.  
“Gandalf!” Elrond exclaimed, stopping his horse.  
“Lord Elrond,” Gandalf greeted back.  
Gandalf then started speaking Elvish to him. Elrond replied back before getting off his horse. The two embraced, “Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or someone has drawn them near,” Elrond replied in English.  
“Ah, that may have been us,” Gandalf said.  
Elrond turned and saw Thorin walking towards him. “Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain,” Elrond greeted.  
“I do not believe we have met,” Thorin said coldly.  
“You have your Grandfather’s bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain.”  
“Indeed? He made no mention of you.”  
Seriously Thorin?  
I sighed a little too loudly. To the point, it caught Elrond’s attention.  
“And what is your name?” He asked me.  
“Alexandria Walker, my lord,” I bowed my head.  
He looked at me for what felt like a long time. “And here I believed Beorn to be the last skin-changer.”  
How does everyone know I’m a skin-changer except me!? You know, the actual skin-changer! Is it tattooed on my forehead or something?  
“Ah yes, that is something I would like to discuss with you… in private, Lord Elrond,” Gandalf said.  
He looked at me in curiosity with a little smirk on his face, then spoke in Elvish while gesturing to all the other dwarfs.  
“What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?” Gloin exclaimed, threatening Elrond with his axe.  
“No, Master Gloin, he’s offering you food,” Gandalf sighed.  
The dwarves turned and discussed amongst themselves what their next action should be, then turned back to Elrond. “Ah. Well. In that case, lead on,” Gloin said.

We all were offered our own rooms, and I never thought I would miss a bed so much as I do now. I decided to use my time before dinner to wash up. And I’m glad I did because I looked awful. My face was covered in dirt and sweat. Some of my curly hair stuck to that sweat. And some of it stood up in all sorts of directions.  
I can’t believe that was the look I had when Lord Elrond and I met. Me looking like I ran a marathon. In this case, I kind of did.

We walked through multiple halls with beautiful murals painted on the walls. One of them having Sauron standing over Isildur while wearing his one ring.  
I stopped in front of it. The picture itself gave me the chills, especially Sauron. It felt like something was pulling me in to look at him longer. I could hear someone talking behind me, or were they whispering? Either way, I couldn’t catch what they were saying. I stared at Sauron as the voices got louder and louder until I could finally understand one word.  
My name.  
I jumped when Gandalf put his hand on my shoulder. “Alex, Lord Elrond is waiting,” he said.  
“Oh, um, yeah, let us go,” I replied, shaking my head to clear my mind.  
Gandalf grunted in agreement, but he didn’t give any indication of walking. He just stared at me, then looked at the mural. I gave him a puzzled look, but he didn’t say anything and started to walk again.

We eventually met Lord Elrond and with Thorin right next to him. “Ah, Thorin, I did not expect to see you here,” Gandalf said.  
“Yes, well. I am curious about who I was traveling with, especially since she has been lying about who she truly is,” he replied, looking at me.  
“She only did because I told her to,” Gandalf said sternly, smashing his staff on the ground.  
“And who are you truly?” Elrond asked before Gandalf and Thorin could bicker more.  
I sighed before I began my story of how I woke up here. And where I was from, and how I know what will happen in the future, everything. Even explained it was Gandalf who told me I was a skin-changer.  
Once I was done telling my story, everyone was quiet for a second.  
“We come to seek advice from you, Lord Elrond. To take her back home, for you and I both know it is too dangerous for her to be here,” Gandalf said.  
“Agreed. I regret to inform you. I have no information myself on the situation. But we do have an extensive library that may be of use. I will have my men look into it,” Lord Elrond said.  
I sighed in relief, “Thank you, Lord Elrond.”  
He smiled and bowed his head to me.  
“I don’t believe you,” Thorin spoke.  
Of course, he doesn’t.  
“You and Bilbo both, buddy,” I sighed.  
All of them gave me a confused look. “Buddy?” Thorin asked.  
Oops, that word doesn’t exist here.  
“Nevermind, how can I prove to you that I can?”  
He thought about it for a second, “Alright, if you know so much, where is my father?”  
I winced, “Sorry, there are certain things I can’t tell you, for it might affect the course of this timeline.”  
He growled in frustration while walking away. “Can you honestly say you would not abandon this quest just to find him if I told you where he was?” I tried to argue.  
He stopped walking but didn’t give me an answer. I took his silence as a no.  
“Exactly,” I said.  
I had to think of something to prove to Thorin I do know his future.  
“And what is this quest you are talking about?” Lord Elrond asked.  
I didn’t mean to give away his quest, but in my defense, he was going to find out anyway.  
“Uh, yes. Thorin, show him the map,” Gandalf said.  
The map, of course!  
“Our business is no concern of Elves,” Thorin said.  
“For goodness sake. Thorin, show him the map!” Gandalf argued.  
I tried to talk, but they kept arguing over me.  
“It is the legacy of my people. It’s mine to protect! As are its secrets.”  
“Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves. Your pride will be your downfall. You stand here in the presence of one of the few in Middle-earth who can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond!”  
Thorin was about to yell back at Gandalf.  
“I can tell you what’s on the map!” I yelled.  
They all stopped and looked at me. “How?” Thorin asked.  
“I already told you, I know what’s going to happen.”  
He sighed, “Alright, I’m listening,” he said, crossing his arms.  
“I can’t really prove it to you until nightfall when the moon is out because there is a hidden message on it. What’s the word Gandalf? Hidden text that can only be read by the light of the moon?”  
“Cirth ithil,” Elrond said.  
“Moon runes,” Gandalf gasped, “of course. And that happens to be tonight?”  
I nodded my head yes.  
“And what does this text say?” Thorin asked.  
“I don’t know exactly the wording, but it’s something along the lines of; Stand by the gray stone, and with the last light of Durin’s Day will shine upon the keyhole.”  
Pretty close, but not perfect.  
“May I see the map?” Elrond asked.  
Thorin looked at Gandalf. And Gandalf, in return, gave him a stern look but eventually gave the map to Elrond. Elrond opened it and started to inspect the paper. “Erebor. So this is your purpose, to enter the mountain.”  
“What of it?” Thorin asked.  
“There are some who would not deem it wise.”  
“What do you mean?” Gandalf asked.  
“You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle-earth,” He gave Gandalf a warning look before turning back to the map, “yes, there most definitely could be moon runes on this map. But of course we have to wait. Come, let us eat while there is still light,” he said handing the map back to Thorin.

We joined the rest of the dwarfs, who were definitely not enjoying the food, or the music. “Try it. Just a mouthful,” Dori said to Ori.  
Ori, who had a lettuce leaf in hand, replied, “I don’t like green food.”  
I sat down next to Fili, who greeted me with a smile as I did. I returned the smile and started making a plate of lettuce and fruit. “So, what did you discuss with the elf?” Fili asked.  
“Lord Elrond, and if you must know. We discussed traveling arrangements for my return home.”  
“Wait, you’re not-?” He didn’t finish the question.  
“Not what?”  
“Coming?”  
He thought I was still going to travel with them.  
“Oh, I’m sorry. I wish I could, but I’m sure my family is worried sick about me.”  
“Oh, yes, of course.” He said before turning back to his plate.  
Even though I couldn’t fully see his face, I knew he was disappointed.  
I felt terrible, “Hey, once you get to Erebor, I will write you a letter.”  
He perked up a bit, “Yeah, that sounds nice.”  
We smiled at each other. The evening sun hit his blond hair just right that it glowed.  
I looked over his shoulder to see Kili using his flirty look on an elf. Bofur and Dwalin caught it as well. He winked at the elf, then caught Dwalin staring at him. “Can’t say I fancy elf maids myself, too thin.” He said to Dwalin.  
Dwalin gave him a curious look, “They’re all high cheekbones and creamy skin,” he added, turning to Bofur, who just nodded at him, smiling, “nothing but facial hair for me. Although, that one there is not bad,” he finished looking at the elf behind him.  
I took a drink from my water as Dwalin leaned forward and whispered, “that’s not an elf maid.”  
I choked as I realized it was indeed not an elf maid, but in fact, an elf man. Kili’s face dropped when he realized it too. Everyone started laughing at him, “that’s funny,” he said.  
“This is Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver. A famous blade, forged by the High Elves of the West. My kin. May it serve you well,” I heard Elrond say.  
Gandalf gave Elrond his sword next. He examined it for a second, “and this is Glamdring. The Foe-hammer, sword of the King of Gondolin,” he continued.  
“I wouldn’t bother, laddie. Swords are named for their great deeds they do in war,” Balin told Bilbo.  
“What are you saying? My sword hasn’t seen battles?”  
“I’m not actually sure it is a sword. More of a letter opener, really.”  
He looked down at his sword in disappointment.  
“I’m sure you will give your sword an excellent name,” I told him.  
He just gave me a suspicious look.  
I smiled coyly at him in return.  
I looked at my own sword sitting next to me. Should I ask Elrond what its name is, or should I make up my own? Not that it mattered anyway, I wouldn’t need it anytime soon.  
“How did you come by these?” Lord Elrond asked Gandalf.  
“We found them in a troll hoard on the Great East Road, shortly before we were ambushed by orcs,” Gandalf replied.  
I couldn’t hear what they were saying to each other because the dwarfs started to complain about the music. “Change the tune, why don’t ya? I feel like I’m at a funeral,” Nori said, pretending to clean out his ears.  
“Did somebody die?” Oin asked.  
“Alright, lads, there’s only one thing for it,” Bofur said, standing up.  
He got on top of a table and started to sing. All the dwarfs began to cheer and stomp their feet into the rhythm of the song. Eventually, it led to them throwing food. A piece of cake almost hit me had it not been for Fili to push me out of the way. There was no way I was going to get any food on me. So I turned myself into an owl and made my way to the only safe table. I landed on Gandalf’s shoulder, which he gladly let me. Elrond and the other elves looked at me in amazement. Lindir was distracted by me as Kili threw another piece of cake and nearly missed his face.

Later that night, Gandalf, Bilbo, Thorin, Balin, and I met privately with Elrond. Balin was informed of who I was by Thorin before we met with everyone.  
“So, let’s see if you are actually telling the truth,” Thorin said, handing Elrond the map.  
Oh, how much I wanted to punch that smug look right off his face.  
Elrond examined the map again, “These runes were written on a midsummer's eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly two hundred years ago. It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield. The same moon shines upon us tonight, Alex was correct.”  
He placed the map on the stone slab right under the moon. As the moon’s light shined on the map, it revealed the runes. “Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks and the setting sun with the last light of Durin’s Day will shine upon the keyhole. Almost exactly what Alex said,” Elrond said.  
“She must have known somehow,” Thorin said.  
He can’t actually be serious?  
“Are you kid- how could I possibly have known that? I wasn’t even born 200 years ago.” I said, flabbergasted.  
“Thorin, she’s telling the truth. She’s done it before, I’ve seen it,” Bilbo said.  
Thorin looked at him, then back at me, “Please, believe me, Thorin, I have no reason to lie to you,” I persisted.  
He dropped his arms in defeat, “fine. I believe you,” is all he said on the matter. I looked at Bilbo gratefully, who nodded his head in reply.  
“But this is ill news. Summer is passing, Durin’s Day will soon be upon us,” Thorin added.  
“Durin’s Day?” Bilbo asked.  
“It is the start of the dwarves’ new year when the last moon of Autumn and the first sun of Winter appear in the sky together,” Gandalf explained.  
“We still have time,” Balin reassured.  
“Time, for what?” Bilbo asked him.  
“To find the entrance. We have to be standing at exactly the right spot, at exactly the right time. Then, and only then, can the door be opened.”  
Elrond gave Thorin the map back, “I still not deem it wise,” he said before leaving.  
I followed him. I had a few questions of my own.  
“Excuse me, Lord Elrond,” he stopped and turned around, “could you tell me what my sword’s name is?” I asked, handing him my sword.  
He smiled at me while taking the sword, then examined it. “This sword has no name,” he replied, “perhaps, you could give it one,” he said, giving it back to me.  
“I have no use for it now,” I said, seething the sword.  
“No? My men say it may take days or even months before we have a word of any news of your situation.”  
That was a punch to my stomach. “Oh, of course,” I said disappointedly, “if it’s alright with you, I would like to help search tomorrow, of course, I can only read the English ones.”  
He gave me a warm smile, “Of course, and you are welcome to stay in Rivendell as long as you’d like if that is what you wish,” he patted my shoulder before leaving.  
Hopefully, it won’t be for too long.

I stood in front of the mural of Sauron again, but this time it was different. Something was missing. I looked down at his hand, the ring, the ring was gone. There was the whispering again. It said something, but I couldn’t hear it, so I moved closer to the mural. “Bring it to me,” it whispered.  
Before I could ask, it answered my question, “bring me the ring, or…”  
I could hear breathing behind me. I slowly turned around and saw a warg facing me.  
“Or die!” the voice yelled.  
In an instant, the warg lunged at me.  
That’s when I woke up.  
I was back in my bed, with my pillow soaked from sweating.  
Here in Rivendell, there is this feeling of peacefulness, like you feel as if nothing can hurt you. But apparently not in your dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I recently have gone back to school. So I'm still trying to figure out how to balance writing and working on homework.


	6. Soilder, Poet, King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex has a big decision to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness! I am so sorry for not updating sooner. I wanted to be one of those writers who updated frequently, but that did not work. This chapter was difficult to write, if I'm honest. To make up for it, I decided to add a little music note. Don't worry, It won't be a frequent thing for those who don't like musicals.  
> I also decided I'm going to split this story like the movies. Which means this book is almost over! I'm excited to show you guys what I have in store for the second book! This one was mainly introducing Alex and how she would interact with the rest of the company. The next one will have more character development, not just for Alex but also for Thorin and Fili!

Dear C,

It was almost dawn when I woke up from the nightmare, so I decided just to get up and get ready for the day.

I tried braiding my hair, but the braids either didn’t stay in or looked terrible. I eventually gave up and just decided to put half of it up.

I walked around Rivendell, admiring the view while waiting for everyone else to wake. I found a balcony to look over Rivendell. The sun began to rise over the mountain, creating a rainbow by the waterfall.

I have to admit. I will miss this place, not just Rivendell, but Middle-Earth. Its sights, its places, even its people. I have grown quite fond of this place C, even if I almost died… twice.

“Why are you up so early?” I heard a voice behind me say.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I replied to Bofur.

He chuckled as he walked over. He leaned his body against the balcony. “Just used to waking up this early,” he said.

I grunted in reply, but he looked at me for an answer to his question. “Couldn't sleep,” I said.

He nodded his head then looked out from the balcony. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” He asked me.

I snorted, “I’m surprised any of you dwarfs would like anything the elves make.”

“Oh, we don’t, but we cannot deny a beautiful view when we see it.”

“So my theory is right, you're all hard on the outside, but big old softies on the inside.”

He laughed, “some of us, not all. Have you met Dwalin?”

I laughed at that. There was a comfortable silence, just us staring out at the waterfall.

“You know,” he said, breaking the silence, “I was attacked once by a bear?”

I turned to look at him but didn't reply.

“Was hunting for a deer,” he continued, “They came up from behind me, didn't even hear him. Can you imagine? Five hundred pounds, and I didn’t even hear him.”

“What happened?”

“He came at me, but Bifur was there just in time to stop it. Well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest. My point is, it scared me so much. I had nightmares about that beast for days.”

Somehow he knew about my nightmare.

“I’m fine,” I lied.

“I'm sure you are,” he chuckled, “but it helped talking about it, and maybe a lavender in my tea before I went to bed.”

He doesn't understand. No one does.

“Thank you, but as I said, I am fine,” I said through my teeth.

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but the bell for breakfast rang.

“After you,” he said, guiding me out of the balcony.

After breakfast, I asked Lindir to show me to the library. Let me tell you, Elrond was not exaggerating about how large the library was. There were millions upon millions of books. I guess that's what happens when you live for thousands of years.

“We have a few of them you may be able to read over here,” Lindir said, gesturing to a table that was stacked with books.

“That’s a lot,” I stated.

“And more to come,” Lindir agreed.

I sighed before going to work.

A few of the elves helped me through the stacks, but we barely made a dent. I sighed in frustration as I slammed a book shut.

The other elves looked at me in shock. “Apologies,” I grumbled.

I decided it was time to take a break from the books and write letters to the company. I thanked every one of them in their own personal letter. And some of them were a little more detailed than others, including what happens in their future. What they do with this information is up to them. Bilbo’s was the most important. It also contained information about the ring. I decided to give them to Bilbo. But he was not to hand them over until Lake Town.

I left the library to get fresh air, taking the letters with me if I met Bilbo somewhere. In which I did.

He was standing in front of that mural.

“Oh, Bilbo, there you are. Would you mind giving these letters to the company?” I asked.

“Oh, good afternoon Alex. Uh, sure,” He said.

I didn't make any effort to walk closer to him or the mural. He gave me a weird look but walked closer to me.

“Why can’t you?” He asked, grabbing the letters.

“Because I won’t be with you when you give it to them. Your letter tells you when you can read them.”

He looked a little disappointed, “Are you sure you don’t want to join us? I- I’m not even sure if I’m the right person for this,” he laughed, gesturing to the letters.

I knew it was more than just letters he was talking about.

“Bilbo, if I knew you weren’t the right person for this task, I wouldn’t have given you the letters,” I reassured him.

He gave me a look of doubtfulness but didn’t reply.

“Please promise me you’ll do everything it says in those letters. It’s important that you do,” I said in a serious tone.

“I- I will, I promise,” he said.

I looked at him in the eyes long and hard before I finally said, “alright.”

There was that whispering again. I looked past Bilbo’s shoulder at the mural. “Alex, are you alright?” Bilbo asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yes,” I looked at him again. He had a concerned look on his face, “I’m starving. Are you hungry?” I asked to distract him.

“Uh, sure, it is about time for luncheon,” He said cautiously.

“Great, let’s go find somebody that can help us,” I said.

I put my hands on his shoulders and guided him in the opposite direction of the mural.

I eventually went back to the library to finish up for the evening. The library was mostly empty except for a few elves still helping me. “There you are, Alex! Where have you been?” I heard someone say behind me.

I turned to look to see who it was.

“Keep your voice down,” I hissed.

“Sorry,” he whispered as he sat down next to me.

“I’ve been here for most of the day,” I replied to Fili’s question.

I looked over at the elves, who were glaring at Fili and me. I shot them an apologetic look.

Fili put his feet up on the table. “That’s a lot of books you have here. Why don’t you take a break from reading and come join us for a swim?”

“Swim in a fountain with twelve naked dwarfs? I think I’ll pass,” I said, laughing, turning back to my book.

I skimmed a few more pages of the book but found nothing. I sighed in frustration while putting the book down in one pile, then picking up another in a new stack. “Looking for something in particular?” Fili asked.

“Just books about a person world-traveling,” I said.

“World-traveling? Like in a storybook?”

“Uh, sure,” I said.

“Why are you looking?”

“Did your uncle not tell you guys?” I asked him.

He gave me a confused look. “Tell us what?”

Thorin didn’t tell them who I was. I guess he would have no reason to since I was out of his hair now. “Nothing, nevermind. It’s just something I’m interested in.”

“Alright…” is all he said.

I could see him staring at me in the corner of my eye. It made it very hard to read. “Take a picture. It lasts longer,” I instinctively told him.

“Take a picture?”

I laughed when I realized what I just said. “It’s something we humans say,” I answered, hoping we wouldn’t question it anymore.

He grunted in reply. “You know,” he said, sitting up in his chair, ”you never taught us any French.”

I knew I forgot something.

“Oh, of course,” I put a hand to my forehead, “I apologize. I completely forgot.”

“It’s alright,” he said, waving his hand in dismissal, “it’s not like we had any time between the trolls and wargs trying to kill us,” he laughed.

I laughed with him, “true. Well, I can teach you at least basic phrases. That’s if your still interested, of course.”

He opened his mouth to reply. “Hey, Fili, you coming?” Kili interrupted.

He stood in the doorway of the library.

I stared at Fili, waiting for him to say he’ll see me later.

“Uh, no. Alex here is going to teach me French,” Fili replied.

And within that moment, I realized I wanted him to stay. I liked his company more than the other dwarfs.

But that’s when I also realized this was a very dangerous feeling.

“Oh, that’s right, you were going to do that. I would stay, but uh, Uncle wants me to help him with something,” Kili said.

I chuckled at him. “It’s fine, Kili. Have fun swimming.”

“Thank you, Alex!”

And within a second, he was gone.

Fili laughed and shook his head. “Are you sure you don’t want to join them?” I asked him.

“Yes, I’m sure,” he said with a grin.

He rubbed his hands together, “So where do we begin?”

I chuckled at his eagerness, “Tell you what, I’ll teach you French if you teach me how to braid my hair,” I offered.

His cheeks and ears became red, “do… do you... want me to braid it?” He stuttered out.

I furrowed my eyebrows together, “Not if it makes you uncomfortable. Just showing me some would be fine.”

He cleared his throat, “Oh, yeah, I can do that,” he nervously laughed.

Why was he acting so weird?

“Great! It’s a deal, then?” I asked.

I stuck out my pinky for him to take. As you already know, C, with my family and friends, we don’t shake hands when making a deal. It’s too formal.

“Uh, what are you doing?”

“It’s called a pinky promise,” I laughed, “you take your pinky and wrap it around mine. And that makes a promise. Or a deal in this case. It’s something I do with my family and friends. We are friends, right?”

He chuckled. “Of course. Alright, it’s a promise,” he said, connecting our pinkies.

It was comical how much his fingers were a lot bigger than mine.

“Well, we should get to work before we run out of daylight. Now let’s start with the basics,” I said.

  
  


Fili is a fast learner, if I’m honest, but he still has a long way to go before he can start to form any sentences. He mostly struggled with the gender of each word—the same as me when first learned.

We came up with the idea to use three strands of rope to teach me how to braid. “Now, do you at least know how to do a simple braid?” Fili asked me.

“Uh, a little.”

“Okay, that’s a start. Show me what you know,” he said, gesturing to the rope.

I messed up a few times, but Fili reassured me I was doing fine. He showed me how he braids, showing me where my fingers should go. He also showed me how to keep the braid from falling out.

  
  


We stayed in that library until it was time for dinner. The dwarfs cook their own food they had brought instead of what the elves made. I decided to join them with a poor excuse for a braid that my hair was put in. Fili reassured me that it was fine, but I didn’t believe him.

We had a great time, though. I mostly sat and talked with Kili, Fili, Bilbo, and Ori. Kili told us we missed out on swimming. “And Dwalin pushed Ori off the top of the fountain because he was too scared too,” Kili said.

“I was not!”

“And he somehow grabbed Dwalin’s leg as he fell and took Dwalin with him!” Kili laughed as he ignored Ori.

We laughed with him.

“Sounds like you had a grand time,” Bilbo said, taking a sip of his drink.

“We did Master Boggins. Tell us, what did you do this afternoon? Please tell me it wasn’t as boring as Fili and Alex here.”

Fili pushed his brother, “My name isn’t -”

“Bombur!” Bofur yelled, throwing Bombur a sausage.

Bombur caught the sausage, then suddenly, the table underneath him collapsed from all the weight. Right after came the sound of booming laughter from everybody as Bombur rolled on the floor trying to get up. I ran over to help, trying not to laugh. “Ah, this is such a good night for a song!” Thorin yelled.

“I agree! What song shall we sing?” Gloin asked.

I was holding one of Bombur’s hands as Bofur held the other. We were struggling to pull him up.

“Well, Alex could sing one of her’s,” Kili volunteered me.

I let go on accident and fell backward on my butt. “What?” I asked him.

“You said you sing. Can you sing us a song?”

Fili helped me up, then went to help with Bombur.

“You wouldn’t know any of the songs I sing,” I grunted as Fili and I helped pull Bombur up successfully.

“It’s your last night with us. Please, sing,” Fili said.

He looked at me with pleading eyes.

How could I possibly refuse?

“Alright, don’t laugh when you find my voice absolutely terrible,” I warned.

“Never,” Fili said, sitting down.

I looked over at Thorin to make sure it was okay. He just nodded his head as if he knew what I was asking.

Everyone went quiet as I reluctantly walked to the middle of the room. I felt my face become hot as everyone stared at me.

I thought about the songs where I actually knew the lyrics. They wouldn’t want a soft one, but more or less an upbeat song. Oh, how I wish I had my piano with me.

I looked at all three of the Durin’s Sons.

That’s when I thought of the perfect song.

“This one is called Soldier, Poet, King,” I said to the crowd.

I tapped the beat with my foot, then looked at Fili as I sang.

_ “There will come a soldier. _

_ Who carries a mighty sword. _

_ He will tear your city down, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord. _

_ Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh Lord. _

_ He will tear your city down, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord.” _

Fili and Kili grabbed their fiddles from their bags, Ori and Dori brought out their flutes. Bombur produced a drum from somewhere and started beating to the rhythm of the song. The music didn’t match the original song, but that didn’t stop me.

I turned to Kili next;

“ _ There will come a poet. _

_ Whose weapon is His word. _

_ He will slay you with His tongue, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord. _

_ Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh Lord. _

_ He will slay you with His tongue, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord.” _

The rest of the dwarfs who didn’t have instruments joined me in the chorus.

I turned to Thorin last;

_ “There will come a ruler,”  _ I bowed to Thorin, who seemed to be enjoying this display.

_ “Whose brow is laid in thorn. _

_ Smeared with oil like David's boy, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord. _

_ Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh Lord. _

_ Smeared with oil like David's boy, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord. _

_ Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh Lord. _

_ He will tear your city down, oh lei-oh lai… oh.” _

I stopped singing, but they just kept playing.

Suddenly, someone spun me around and started dancing with me.

“Fili,” I yelped.

“Dance with me!” He yelled over the music.

That soft smile he gave me was the only reason I didn’t say no.

We danced around the fire until they decided to stop playing. Fili and I bowed to each other as I tried catching my breath.

“Beautiful!” Bofur yelled at me.

I laughed at him and the ridiculousness of all of this.

I looked at the crowd and saw Thorin leaving. Maybe he didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought.

“Another!” Nori yelled.

Everyone cheered me on. “Oh no, I apologize, but I think I’m done. I’m going to go get some air,” I said to the crowd.

There were a few moans in disappointment. But it didn’t stop them from playing a different song. “I’ll join you,” Fili offered.

“I... was actually thinking of… flying,” I stuttered.

“Oh,” he sounded a little disappointed, “no worries. Uh, thank you for dancing with me,” He said before kissing my hand.

His lips felt soft and warm against my hand.

I cleared my throat and excused myself. The feeling of his lips still imprinted on my hand.

The more I turn into an owl, the more manageable the transition is. I flew around Rivendell under the night sky. The breeze on my face felt terrific and free. I could never get used to flying. It will be one of the things I will miss when I leave.

“What will happen if your plan should fail? If you wake that beast?” I heard someone say.

I flew towards the voice.

“But what if we succeed? If the dwarfs take back the mountain, our defenses in the East will be strengthened.” Gandalf said to Elrond.

They walked across a bridge as I flew in circles above them. I was also kept an eye on Bilbo and Thorin across the way.

“It is a dangerous move Gandalf,” Elrond argued.

“It is also dangerous to do nothing. Oh, come, the throne of Erebor is Thorin’s birthright. What is it you fear?”

Elrond stopped them both in their tracks. “Have you forgotten? A strain of madness runs deep in that family,” he lowered his voice to keep others from hearing, but his voice just echoed throughout the place, “his grandfather lost his mind, his father succumbed to the same sickness.”

I flew down to sit on Gandalf’s shoulder, hoping my intrusion would put this argument to an end. “Can you swear Thorin Oakenshield not also fall? Can she swear he will not fall?” Elrond asked gesturing to me.

Gandalf looked at me as if I was going to give him an answer. He grunted and turned back to Elrond, “You know just as well as I, she will not tell us. And it would be dangerous if she did.”

“Gandalf, these decisions do not rest with us alone. It is not up to you, me, or even her to redraw the map of Middle-Earth.”

I wanted to warn them what will happen if the dwarfs don’t take back the mountain. Tell them Azog will seek control and contribute to helping Sauron’s defenses.

But I couldn’t.

Can’t.

‘With or without our help, these dwarves will march on the mountain,” Gandalf argued as they continued walking. “they’re determined to reclaim their homeland. I do not believe Thorin Oakenshield feels that he’s answerable to anyone. Nor for that matter am I.”

“But it’s not me you must answer to,” Elrond said, leading us to a balcony.

At that moment, I noticed Lady Galadriel turning to face us.

Somehow I could hear an invisible chorus singing as she did. She illuminated under the moonlight as if the moon made a spotlight just for her. “Lady Galadriel,” Gandalf greeted.

“Mithrandir,” Galadriel greeted back.

They started speaking in elvish. I noticed how her skin was white and clean like porcelain.

And before you ask. Of course, I’m jealous.

My oily skin could never.

“I had no idea Lord Elrond had sent for you,” Gandalf said, turning to look at Elrond.

But Elrond just looked down at the ground. “He didn’t. I did,” a voice said from behind us.

I felt Gandalf become stiff.

“Saruman,” Gandalf greeted when he looked at the other Wizard.

If I were in human form, my jaw would be clenched from speaking out against him.

“You’ve been busy of late, my friend,” Saruman smiled.

Gandalf flinched as I dug my talons into him on accident. “And who may I ask is this?” Saruman asked, moving his eyes to me.

Gandalf sighed in frustration, but quietly enough, only I could hear it.

“This is Miss Alex Walker,” he introduced me.

Saruman gave Gandalf a look of confusion, “odd name for an owl.”

“ _ Show yourself, child,”  _ Galadriel said inside my head.

I turned to look at her as she smiled at me. I got down from Gandalf’s shoulder and to the ground turning back into my usual self. “A skin-changer,” Gladirel stated, not taking her eyes away from me.

I bowed my head to her, “My Lady Galadriel,” I greeted.

“A skin-changer? But they became extinct years ago. How is this possible?” Saruman asked.

“She is not from this world,” Galadriel answered, her piercing blue eyes still on me.

That’s when I realized she could read minds. I panicked and tried to block her out of my mind before seeing something she wasn’t supposed to see. “ _ Do not worry, child. I do not intend to read your mind any further,”  _ She gave me a reassuring smile.

I sighed in relief at that.

“Yes, it is true Miss Walker is not from this world. And in fact, in her world, we are but characters of a story,” Gandalf said.

Saruman gave a look of doubt, “and what proof do you have?” he asked, glaring at me.

“She has given us plenty of proof, Saruman,” Elrond assured him.

“Why is she here?” Saruman asked.

He talked about me as if I wasn’t standing right in front of him.

“That is the question we are trying to find out,” I said.

He moved closer to me. With each step forward, I stepped back.

“If what you say is true. Then you know the future of Middle Earth,” Saruman said.

Gandalf stepped in between us. “Ah, yes, Saruman, that is correct. But as you know, that could be dangerous to know such knowledge. So, we want to return her home safely,” Gandalf smiled.

“Hmm, yes,” Saruman agreed, but he stared his beady eyes at me.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have some… business to attend to,” I excuse myself.

I couldn’t stand being next to that man anymore. I quickly left before any of them could oppose.

I woke up to a hand on my shoulder and heavy breathing coming from behind me. I quickly turned and grabbed the person’s wrist, twisting then pinning their whole arm behind their back. I shoved them against the wall. “Alex, it’s me,” the person grunted.

“Fili?” I asked.

I let go of him instantly. “Mahal, woman,” Fili groaned as he rotated his arm to help ease the pain.

“I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” I asked as I put on a robe.

He chuckled at me, “Yeah, I’m fine. Told you, Uncle, she’s full of surprises.”

Thorin hummed in agreement from behind me. His silhouette was leaning against the door watching the whole scene play out. I looked out the window. It was not even dawn yet. “What are you doing here?” I asked them, lighting a candle to see them better.

“We are leaving. We have come to say our goodbyes,” Thorin replied.

A pang of sadness hit me when he said that.

“Oh, of course,” I said, “Is it just to two of you?” I asked.

“Come,” is all Thorin said, gesturing to me to follow him.

I was hesitant at first but eventually followed outside.

There stood all the dwarfs and their burglar. “We all came to say good-bye,” Kili said.

I know it’s silly, but this act meant more to me than I can explain. These dwarfs who I knew from the movies and book come to say good-bye and would miss my company meant a lot.

“I appreciate it,” I said, swallowing a lump in my throat, “I also appreciate you letting me join along in your travels. Even if trolls almost ate us,” I said.

I got a few chuckles from some of the dwarfs.

They started to line up two by two to wish me good-bye. Dwalin and Balin were first. Balin grabbed my hand, “I wish you good luck, Lass,” he said, patting my hand.

I thanked him and wished him good luck as well. I turned my head to Dwalin, who just looked at me and bowed his head. I smiled and curtseyed back at him. Without words, I knew what he was saying.

They turned a corner and out of my sight.

Next came Oin and Gloin, then Dori and Nori, who all bowed and said good-bye. I wished them farewell in return and good luck.

Next was Bofur and Bifur. Bifur talked first, but I didn’t understand him. I turned to Bofur for help, “he says good-bye.”

“Oh, and how would I say farewell in Khuzdul?”

Bofur looked over at Thorin with an uneasy look. Thorin nodded as saying it was okay. “ _ Rasup gamut, _ ” he said.

I nodded in understanding and turned to Bifur repeating the phrase. It was a bit butchered the way I said it, but he must have understood me because he smiled and bowed. Bofur grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Good-bye, my lady,” he said.

I laughed at him. “Charmer. Good-bye, Bofur.”

He winked at me and left with Bifur.

Ori and Bilbo were next. Ori gave me a huge hug as he said good-bye. He’s surprisingly quite strong for being the smallest dwarf.

“You have what I gave you?” I asked Bilbo.

“Of course,” is all he said.

I smiled at him, but it was a sad one. He was mad at me for leaving him. “Thank you for letting me into your home, even though I knew you didn’t want to,” I said.

He laughed. “No, I didn’t. But I’m glad I did.”

I held out my hand for him to shake, which he gladly took. I wrapped my other hand around his. Then after a long minute, we let go, and he left.

Fili and Kili came up.

“Well, this is good-bye,” Kili said.

“I guess it is,” I sighed.

“Good-bye, Alex, take care.”

“I will. Take care of Bilbo for me, will you?” I asked him.

“Oh, don’t worry, Master Boggins is in good hands,” he promised.

“And you better stop calling him that. He’s a lot fiercer than he looks,” I warned.

“But it’s too much fun. The faces he makes when I do,” he looked off into the distance with a smile on his face.

Fili smacked him on the head.

Kili rubbed his head, “Ow! Oh, alright.”

I laughed and shook my head at him.

I turned to Fili. “Oh, Fili, I’ve made you a few sheets to help you practice French,” I said before I ran back to my room and grabbed a stack of papers from my desk.

He chuckled as he grabbed the papers from my hand when I came back. “Thank you, keep using those ropes. You’ll get better.”

He smiled, but I could see the sadness in his eyes.

“I will,” I promised.

He held out his pinky to me. I laughed and wrapped my finger around his. I didn’t realize until then just how much I was going to miss him. Miss our conversations.

Our friendship.

Kili cleared his throat, and in an instant, we let our hands drop.

“Good-bye, Fili,” it almost came out a whisper as a lump formed in my throat.

“Good-bye, Alex.”

With that, they left.

I watched as they turned the corner like the rest, disappearing from my sight.

And then there was one.

“You’ve made quite the impression on my nephew,” Thorin said.

“Just as he did with me,” I replied, still looking in the direction Fili and Kili left.

There was silence for a moment as if he was pondering something. “You know, Erebor has an extensive library, bigger than the elves,” he said.

I turned to look at him. “What?”

Was he bragging right now?

“Erebor’s library, it might have some information on your... issue.”

Oh.

I smirked at him, “Do you think so?”

“And we could use your  _ information _ on this quest.”

I stopped smiling, “My  _ information _ will not be used unless I deem it okay to use,” I warned him.

He huffed and clenched his fist as I raised my eyebrow at him, waiting for an argument. But he just sighed in defeat. “Of course,” he bowed his head, “So will you join us?”

He doesn’t realize what he is asking of me. To sacrifice a year’s worth of my life? To help him on a quest wherein the end, he dies? Or risk the death of me? 

“Are you just asking me to come hoping I will tell you what’s going to happen? If so, I will not-”

“I’m asking you to join because we need all the help we can get. With or without your information,” he sighed in frustration, “I’m asking you to join because everyone is quite fond of you, including myself.”

I took a step back. Never would I have thought Thorin would admit that.

I jumped when I heard footsteps running towards us. Thorin put one hand on his sword, ready for anything.

Fili turned the corner running up to us. “Alex, wait,” he said out of breath.

“Fili,” Thorin sighed in relief.

“Come with us,” Fili said, ignoring Thorin.

“Fili, I can’t-. I would be no use to the company. I don’t know how to use a sword. I can barely use a bow,” I argued.

“I’ve seen you in battle. You can handle yourself pretty well,” Thorin said.

I laughed, whether it was from the absurdness of this conversation or it was because I was actually considering going.

“What about my family, my home?” the question was mainly asked to Thorin.

“Come with us, and I promise you I will get you back home safely,” Fili said, holding out his pinky.

He had no idea what kind of promise he was making. But it was the thought that really mattered in the end.

I looked around, trying to think of another excuse but ended up thinking of what Gandalf had said to Bilbo; “ _ The world is not in your books and maps. It’s out there.” _

To read The Hobbit was an adventure within itself, but to actually live it? That wasn’t an opportunity I was willing to pass up.

Before I knew it, I was wrapping my pinky around Fili’s. “Don’t we have enough promises already?” I asked.

He laughed. “Never,” he grinned.

By the time I was packed and ready, the sun was up and shining.

I walked behind Fili and Thorin, hiding from the rest of the company. I had to crouch a bit because they were shorter.

“Well?” I heard Kili ask, “Is she coming?”

Thorin sighed in disappointment. Then they both moved out of my way so they could see me with a grin on my face.

Everyone cheered at the sight of me. Thorin had to tell them to be quiet. We were still trying to leave without making a fuss after all.

I got a few pats on the back as we walked across the bridge to exit the valley. “I so glad you joined. A few of us may have made bets whether or not you would join,” Bofur said next to me.

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow at him, “And what did you think?” I asked.

“Let us just say you made me very rich,” he smiled.

I chuckled and hit him playfully in the arm.

“Although a few will be a bit grumpy with-”

A voice in my head drowned out Bofur’s voice,  _ “I wish you good fortune in your journey.” _

_ “Thank you, Lady Galadriel,”  _ I replied, nodding to Bofur as if I was still listening.

_ “I must warn you. Your greatest weakness will be your downfall. There are many around you to help. Learn to trust others.” _

I didn’t reply. This was my mission and mine alone.

I’m sorry, C, I must sacrifice a year of my life without you or my family. But I like to think you would understand.

‘This is it,’ I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to save the Durin’s Sons.’

“Be on your guard. We’re about to step over the Edge of the Wild,” Thorin warned us as we climbed out of the valley. “Balin, you know these paths, lead on.”

“Aye.”

“Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up,” Thorin called to Bilbo.

Bilbo, who was ahead of me, looked out at Rivendell with regret in his eyes.

I gave him a gentle smile and a pat on his shoulder as we continued walking together.

He gave me a gentle smile in return.

By midday, we stopped to rest. We found a somewhat open area to sit on the side of the valley. There was enough room for all of us to sit, and a person could walk in front of us, but not enough room to spread out and sit in huddles. We all had to sit with our back digging into the mountain. I sat with Ori on my left and Bilbo on my right while we ate our rolls.

“I guess you would like these back then?” Bilbo asked, holding out the letters I gave him.

I chuckled, “I guess so,” I replied as I grabbed the letters.

I tucked them away in my bag. I’m going to have to remember to take those out before reaching Goblin Town.

“So what convinced you to come along?” Bilbo asked.

I can’t tell him the real reason. “Couldn’t leave you to deal with these unpleasant dwarfs all by yourself. Now, Could I?”

“Hey, who are you calling unpleasant?” Bofur yelled, sitting on the other side of Bilbo.

“Certainly not you, Bofur,” I laughed.

He glared at me as he ate a piece of his roll. 

“Excuse us, we must get to Miss Walker,” I heard Balin yell.

He and Thorin were trying to walk past everyone to get to me, but not without a struggle. Thorin tripped over someone’s shoe and almost fell off the cliff had it not been for Dwalin to grab his arm in time.

I stood up to meet them halfway. With smaller feet, it was easier for me to walk. “Finally,” Thorin sighed.

“Here,” Balin said, handing me a stack of paper.

“What’s this?” I asked, taking it from his hand.

I looked at the papers, and the first thing I saw at the top in bold;  _ Conditions of Engagement. _

It was a contract.

“Balin, I can’t sign this,” I leaned in close to the two dwarfs, “I have no use for your gold.”

“Your terms of the agreement are… a little different,” Thorin said.

I looked down at the contract again.

_ I, the undersigned, [referred to hereinafter as Skin-changer.] _

Okay, fair enough. But what about my payment? I looked down a little further to  _ Payment (and Funeral Expenses) for the Skin-changer. _

_ Thorin Oakenshield, once becomes King of Erebor and Co., will help find a way for the Skin-changer to return home safely. _

I gasped as I read the text. It may have been a simple term to anyone else. But to me, it meant the world.

I looked up at Thorin and Balin, who were both smiling at me. Balin held out a quill for me to sign. In an instant, I was signing the contract.

“Welcome, Mistress Walker, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield,” Balin announced.

A few of the dwarfs clapped and cheered.

“Oh, please do not call me that again,” I said, as I cringed at the name.

We continued traveling. What once a clear blue sky turned into gray and dark. Which then turned into a thunderstorm in a matter of hours.

I would have loved to hear the sound of the rain and thunder if I weren’t in the middle of it! The wind blew the rain in every direction, making it hard to see anything. “Alright, hold on!” Thorin yelled at us.

I, fortunately, saw Bilbo slip on the wet ground, almost falling off the cliff. Bofur and I both caught him before he did. “We must find shelter!” Thorin yelled.

“Look out!” Dwalin yelled.

Before I could react, a huge boulder came flying towards us. It hit the mountain and smashed into pieces.

We huddled against the wall to avoid the debris. “Watch out!” Bofur yelled to me.

He pushed me out of the way before a piece of the boulder could hit me. “This is no thunderstorms! It’s a thunder-battle! Look!” Balin yelled, pointing to a stone giant.

“Well, bless me. The legends are true! Giants! Stone giants!” Bofur announced.

The stone giant we were looking at threw a boulder at another stone giant. Knocking it down making the ground shake.

Suddenly, our mountain broke apart, separating our group into two. Of course, the mountain we happened to be on was also a stone giant that wanted to join in on the fight.

“Kili, grab my hand!” Fili yelled, trying to reach for Kili as the mountain split.

We all huddled close together so we wouldn’t fall. Our stone giant swayed, then came to an abrupt stop as it smashed into the mountain. The impact pushed us all forward, causing Fili to slip off the edge. He grabbed the edge of the cliff but was struggling to hold on. “Fili! Hold on!” I yelled. Even I could hear the panic in my voice.

Bofur and I grabbed each of his hands before he could fall. I struggled to pull him up. Dwalin came rushing over, helping me by grabbing his arm and hoisting him up. We all sighed in agreement that that was a close one.

But it wasn’t over yet, because our stone giant started to sway again. We grabbed on to one another to make sure none of us fell again. I suddenly saw the other part of our company as we flew past them. Some of them tried to reach out to us, but we were too far away.

Our stone giant stopped moving for a second, then started to move forward, right into the jagged mountain. I grabbed on to Fili for dear life, as he did the same with me. I closed my eyes before we crashed into the mountain.

Fili and I fell, but we didn’t fall very far. I opened my eyes to see we landed on the edge of the other mountain.

“No! Kili!” I heard Thorin yell.

Wrong sibling, but it’s fine.

Thorin helped Fili and me up. My body’s side was sore from the impact, but I didn’t mind at the time.

“We’re alright! We’re alive!” Balin cheered.

“Where’s Bilbo? Where’s the hobbit?” Bofur yelled.

I had forgotten! I looked around the edge of the cliff, but I couldn’t see him.

My mind began to race.

“There!” Kili yelled.

He had fallen further down than he should have, his feet dangling as he barely held on to the rocks.

In an instant, I turned into an owl. I swooped down and used my talons to grab his shoulders to support him. I wasn’t strong enough to pull him up. I screeched to tell the others to hurry up and help me.

The wind and rain made it even harder to fly. Slowly my grip on him became weaker and weaker with each passing second.

Thorin grabbed him and lifted him, and helped him climb as I flew back to the top. I landed on Fili’s shoulder. Not entirely wanting to turn back into a human in case I slipped again. “Grab my hand! Bilbo! Come on and take it!” Bofur yelled in encouragement.

I tried catching my breath as Dwalin cheered, “I thought we’d lost our burglar.”

“He’s been lost ever since he left home,” Thorin growled. “He should never have come. He has no place amongst us,” Thorin argued.

Bilbo looked down at the ground in disappointment.

I flew over to yell at Thorin but then came a bright light, and a large bang followed behind. A lightning bolt had stuck somewhere up the mountain.

Debris came flying down.

One struck me, hitting my head.

I heard the dwarfs yell my name as I fell down.

Down into the gap and into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, Alex! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please check out this song if you don't know it. It's called Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos. Here's the link! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzVKsltzYdI


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